


A Certain Darkness is Needed to See the Brightest Stars

by MightyMage



Series: A Certain Determination is Needed to See the Final Destination [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Abuse, Aged-Up Character(s), Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Canon Compliant, Cheating, Developing Friendships, Disability, Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Finally now with kissing, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, I accidentally made an isekai, I added more drama though oops, I hated how the plot ended so I changed some things, Injury, Love Triangles, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Only because I hate (y/n) it breaks the flow, Oral Sex, People can die by Pokemon, Porn With Plot, Reader has a name but it's rarely used, Reader-Insert, Realistic consequences to battling, Rose is not a good person, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Indulgent, Slow Burn, Slow Burn So Slow We Hit 100k Words And Reader Still Hasn't Been Kissed, These Aren't Love Triangles These Are Love Disasters, Trans Character, Worldbuilding, bed sharing, but only for plot reasons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:02:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 44
Words: 211,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22283815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MightyMage/pseuds/MightyMage
Summary: After waking up in the Galar region, you're really just trying to make the best of things here, as it's not like you have any clue how to get back home. No one's heard of a world without Pokémon, after all. Maybe here, you can finally create a life worth living for yourself. After all, you've been given the chance of a lifetime, and the unique ability to make the most of it.The Gym Challenge may prove more difficult than first imagined, but thankfully you'll meet some great friends along the way who can help you over those additional hurdles.R*pe scene is in Chapter 43: Interlude Seven and is entirely skippable. You don't need to read it to know what's going on.
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan, Dande | Leon/Reader, Dande | Leon/Yuuri | Gloria, Hop (Pokemon)/Reader, Hop/Yuuri | Gloria, Kibana | Raihan/Nezu | Piers, Kibana | Raihan/Reader, Kibana | Raihan/Yuuri | Gloria
Series: A Certain Determination is Needed to See the Final Destination [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035837
Comments: 411
Kudos: 512





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't wrote fanfiction in years. I haven't wrote anything in years. I'm totally out of practice. I fell in love with the new Pokémon games, especially the new characters. I was so sad when it was over, and I am playing through Shield after finishing Sword just so I can see all my favourite characters once again.  
> This is so self indulgent, because I am writing it for me. I challenged myself this year with my new years resolution, to care about myself enough to get my mental health on track. This is part of that. I can't write for others if I can't first write for myself. I'm posting this as a personal challenge to myself, to prove I'm brave enough to do this.  
> I'd be happy to hear criticism, as I would like to improve my writing skills. I don't know if I'll ever actually write up as much of this as I have planned, but I'm going to give it my best try.  
> Wish me luck.

“So I have your memories.”

“What?”

“I really don’t know how to better explain it than that.” The man shakes his head and shifts in his chair. “No one’s been able to figure out yet.”

“I don’t understand.” The girl shakes her head, confusion written on her features.

“Well it’s…” The man sighs and runs his hands down his face, the action knocking the cap off his head. “I don’t know why I have them. You had my memories when you came here, too, and no one figured it out then either.”

“What do you mean? I don’t have your memories!” Her hands smack at the bed she’s sitting on as she wildly shakes her head.

“Well you don’t now, obviously.” The man pulls his lips into a line, growing frustrated.

“I don’t understand!” She cries, tears building in her eyes.

“Hmm… I suppose I could tell you them. Your memories, I mean. I could tell you your story.” He’s got an idea, how he may be able to help her.

“My story? What do you mean?” She looks him in the eye, desperate to understand what’s going on.

“Maybe it’ll help you remember. I know everything that happened to you during those 10 months, I could recount your journey here.” He looks off into the distance and continues quietly, more to himself than his bedridden companion. “Maybe it’ll help me figure out who I am, too.”

She nods. “You think it’ll help me remember? Can I even remember if you have my memories?”

“Well it certainly can’t do much harm,” he laughs, “and I still had my memories when you had mine, so I don’t see why you couldn’t also remember your own memories. Just don’t go remembering mine too, you hear?”

She smiles slightly at this. “Why not? Didn’t I have them before? How do you even know they’re yours and not mine?”

“Well if ya stop buggin’ me with questions-” he cuts himself off as he suddenly stands. He grabs a chair from across the room, and drags it back to the comfy armchair he had just been seated in. He throws himself back into the chair with an exaggerated sound, throwing his feet up on the second chair and swiping his previously fallen hat from the floor in a graceless gesture. He plunks the hat back on his head before leaning back against his arms. “Get comfy, we’re gonna be here a while.”

“I’m gonna start where this all began for you, in the Slumbering Weald.”


	2. Chapter One

You wake up in a foggy forest. You’re not sure why, you went to bed in your bed last night, not out here. Wherever out here was. You attempt to sit up, finding yourself dizzy and sore. Standing isn’t an option right now, so you take a moment to get your bearings. You don’t immediately recognize this place, though it’s not like every forest you’ve ever been in is super recognizable. You don’t immediately feel fear, and this you do notice, because you should definitely be afraid, waking up somewhere you don’t recognize. Yet, you aren’t. You feel oddly calm, like this is exactly where you’re supposed to be right now. It’s a strange feeling, and it unsettles you, as _you_ aren’t feeling this way at all. You take yourself in, and you’re surprised to find you’re naked. You definitely didn’t go to bed that way last night, but this isn’t the only alarming thing you come across.

Your limbs are smaller, and wait, are those _boobs?!_ Your physical appearance is greatly altered from what you remember it being. Small, elegant hands, thin legs, there’s definitely no penis between your legs, either. “I’M A GIRL?!” You shout, before cursing loudly. This startles you, your voice sounds funny. It cracks weirdly, like you’re pitching it too low, and sounds much higher than you remember. This seems to get the attention of whatever creatures are nearby, as you hear the underbrush around you begin rustling. Locating the direction of the sound, you turn around on your ass and try to get away, but you find you still can’t stand.

Out of the bushes comes a right formidable beast. It’s probably taller than you’d be standing, but you’re not sure how tall you are now. With the fog, the details are a bit hard to make out, but you think it may have blue fur. It’s covered in scars, and will likely eat you here. Your back hits a tree and this thing is still coming towards you. You have nowhere to go, and can’t do much but stare into its eyes. However, you find nothing but peace there, and feel that this beast has no ill will towards you. It stops less than a metre away and you just stare at it for a while. Eventually, it turns its back and begins walking away. It doesn’t get far before it turns its head to look at you.

“Oh, do you want me to follow you?” You ask, feeling kind of silly trying to talk to it. When it nods, however, you feel less silly. You heavily lean on the tree as you begin trying to stand. You feel so weak, everything hurts, but you can’t see any injuries on yourself and nothing particularly feels injured. You try to take a step forward and lose your balance, falling forward. At least you’re able to catch yourself on the next tree, and you use the trees as support as you walk. It takes you time, but with the help of the forest around you, you’re able to catch up to the beast.

Although you’re not sure where it’s taking you, you figure anything is better than sitting in this dense forest. As you have no idea where you are, you also have no idea how to get back to, well, anywhere. Home? You’re not sure where you’d like to go. Somewhere warm? You’re completely naked, and it’s not exactly a nice day out. A shiver has set into your bones, wracking your small frame as you try to hold yourself up against the trees. Anywhere familiar would be nice at this point, you think. Which is why, when a weird looking squirrel trots past you, you don’t initially think much of it. Unfamiliar place, unfamiliar animals, it all checks out.

It’s when you _hear it_ that you realize something truly weird is going on. He’s apparently hunting for berries, if the weird feeling of communication you have with it is something to be trusted. It’s less something you hear and more something you feel, and your mind tells you that you must be dreaming in order to cope. Because surely, that’s the only logical explanation, right?

While following this beast, you see more weird animals, and you get the feeling that animals might not be the right word for it. You’re not sure the word though, this is all still very strange and most of your focus is still going to keeping you upright as you try to slowly walk while trembling like a leaf after this beast. Who is being very patient, mind you, waiting for you at times as you fall behind. You see light coming from ahead, and you sigh in relief at the thought of being out of this forest. The beast stops, and throws his head in the direction of the streaming sunlight. There’s a path, you notice, and you get the feeling that following it will finally lead you out.

“Thank you,” you offer to it as you pass it, and continue stumbling out into the light. There are less animals here on the path, but you still notice them as you walk. As you get closer to what you assume is the exit, you hear what sounds like a sheep baaing, and a voice. A human voice. You try to pick up the pace, maybe they can help you.

“…the matter…don’t see anything…” you hear the voice say. A male? At least he speaks English, you think, as you continue to make your way out of the woods. You see a gate before you see him, leaning heavily over it with his hand brimming his eyes. He’s clearly looking for something, and he gazes down at the funny looking sheep at his side before talking again. “Are you sure something is out there? I can’t see anything from here.”

He’s talking to the sheep, you realize, and it baas back at him. It seems to look right at you and you _feel_ it again, you understand the sheep is trying to tell this man that you are out there.

“Alright, I’ll keep looking, relax Wooloo,” he gestures to the sheep before looking out again. This time, as he swings his head around, he finds you, and as your eyes meet, you get a good look at him. He’s got short, dark purple hair, and warm honey gold eyes that go wide with shock when they meet yours. His tan complexion bursts into red upon seeing you. He’s wearing a warm looking jean jacket with a soft looking lining, and it makes you realize how cold you feel out here in basically nothing. “Hey! Are you ok?!” He calls before easily jumping the fence. He’s running over to you before you’re even fully out of the forest, and he holds out his hands as he gets a good look at you.

He frowns, and you’re not sure why until he asks “Who even are you?”


	3. Chapter Two

You’re not sure how to answer his question. He makes it sound like the weird thing is that he doesn’t recognize you, not that you can barely stand and are dangerously close to falling into his open arms and _naked_. He looks like he’s not sure if he should reach out and help you or not, as he clearly intended to do so before he realized he didn’t know who you are.

“Me? Who are you?” You shoot back, but your voice sounds quiet and rough, even to your own ears. It doesn’t surprise you when this man winces at the sound. You wrap your arms around yourself as best as you can to hide what you can, but you also need to lean against the tree to support yourself.

“I’m Hop, and you’re clearly poorly, and naked! Let me help you back to my place, get you looked over.” Hop says, and then he seems to take a better look at you. His cheeks go redder when he realizes the possible intentions of his actions, and he quickly scrambles to remove his jacket, flustered. He steps closer to toss it over your shoulders, looking up and away from you while he does. His hands remain on your shoulders once the jacket has covered you, and you tug it around you properly to cover yourself fully. It’s warm, and the whole inside is made of that same fluffy looking lining and it’s really as soft as it feels and you’re wholly distracted by this, so much so, that you quite literally fall.

Hop catches you, righting you quickly, and either he’s stronger than he looks, which is not very strong, or you’re _much_ lighter than you used to be. A glance down at yourself reminds you that the latter is very much the case, and you mumble an apology to Hop for falling into him. He’s got a solid grip on you, and you do still have to lean into him as you walk, but he successfully gets you all the way out of the forest.

“What were you doing in there, anyway? Don’t you know this place is off limits for a reason? You could have gotten seriously hurt. Wait, are you hurt? Why were you wandering around naked? Did someone hurt you?” Hop sounds concerned, and you have to consider his questions for a moment, and how to answer it.

“I… Don’t really know. I woke up in there.” You decide on the truth. He didn’t seem dangerous, and he seemed like he wanted to help.

“Wait, woke up in there? You don’t know how you got there? Did you lose your memories or something?” This guy asks way too many questions, you think, and you’re still trying to focus on walking through all this pain and dizziness, it’s hard to focus on the questions he’s asking you.

“No, I remember perfectly fine who I am,” you reply, but he’s pushing you against the gate that he jumped earlier.

“Hang on, lemme see if I can get this open,” and he’s hopping the gate once more, his funny looking sheep baaing in happiness at his return. And you _feel_ this sheep’s happiness in a way you really can’t explain. You’re distracted thinking about the implications of that when Hop’s voice pulls you from your thoughts, “Nope, locked up on this side. Gonna have to help you over the gate. Think you can do it?”

His accent suddenly hits you. British, or something, you think, and you suddenly get the weird sensation that you are much farther from home than you originally thought. How did you get here? Where even is here? Overwhelmed, it’s all you can do but nod as Hop helps you over the gate. He mostly has to pull you over it, and he's once again blushing and looking away as he grabs you around the waist to lift you over.

Safely on the ground on the other side of the gate, Hop recomposes himself and launches into questions once more. “So who are you then?” He looks at you like he’s trying to figure out where he might know you from, but he gives you room to answer his question this time.

You give him your name. He nods, “Can’t say I’ve heard of you then, which means you’re not from around here. Where you from, then? Wedgehurst?” Hop is once again launching ahead without you in this conversation, and you’re left trying to process. Wedgehurst? Was that somewhere near here? You’d never heard of it before, which means it’s not near your home.

When you try to describe where you’re from, Hop doesn’t even recognize the continent. “You’re not even from Galar?! How did you get here then?” Hop is shocked, and he moves around too much when he talks, it knocks you off balance and he has to catch you and right you once more.

You try to take in what’s around you. Galar? You’ve never heard of such a place. You notice there were mostly fields around you, and you were on a small trail through them. The two of you were walking past a rustic looking cottage, grown over by various plants. It didn’t look like anyone had lived there in a while. “Where’s Galar?” You finally ask.

Hop stops walking all together at this. He turns to face you, both his hands on your shoulders to keep you upright. “Mate,” he sounds exasperated. He screws up his face, he was likely trying to think of how to explain this.

“Are you from the Mainland then? Or somewhere farther like Unova or Kalos? Actually, you’ve got a Unovan accent there kind of,” Hop trails off and looks at you, waiting for an answer.

Unova. Kalos. You _knew_ those. Those were places in a _made up video game about monsters you could battle with_ and there was _no way_ that was _real_. You were dreaming. That was it. This is a dream that you are going to wake up from and tell your friends about and laugh about and they’re going to tease you about how you’re so excited about the new games that you’re dreaming about them which is not true at all you really aren’t even all that interested in them these days and you’ll all find this so silly and everything is going to be fine-

You don’t realize you’re hyperventilating until your knees hit the dirt. Hop is rubbing your back and is trying to get you to breathe with him, you realize, but more than hear him try to talk you through breathing - as he is clearly also not quite sure what to do about this - you _feel_ his weird sheep wanting you to calm down, you feel his worry. That grounds you, in a weird way, and you’re able to calm down and follow Hop’s slightly panicked breathing instructions.

Calming down helps you realize something. That weird sheep could be a Pokémon. You had to know. Is this all real? “What is that?” You finally ask, pointing to the sheep.

“Have you never seen a Wooloo before?” Hop asks, a small smile creeping onto his face as humour dances in his eyes.

“A Wooloo? What’s a Wooloo?” You didn’t know any Pokémon called Wooloo, but then again, you stopped playing the video games years ago, and you know you’d missed a few.

Hop looks confused by your question though. “It’s a Pokémon native to Galar, I’m guessing you don’t know much about Galar Pokémon then?”

“Pokémon?!” You couldn’t help how loud that ripped out of you. Then it was true. Was it? How could it be? “Pokémon aren’t real!” It’s more a whisper than a shout, your voice giving out.

“Mate, what are you on about? Of course they’re real. Are you sure you remember everything?” Hop sounds teasing, but he looks genuinely worried about you.

“Hop. I don’t know how to explain this. It’s going to sound weird to you, I think, but where I’m from? Pokémon aren’t real. Pokémon don’t exist. They’re all made up by some company in a foreign country. They’re a popular children’s media franchise. They’re _not real_. I don’t know how I got here. I just woke up here, in that forest. I went to bed in my home, in a world without Pokémon, and I woke up here.” You finish, glad you were already on the ground because this was all so overwhelming and you probably wouldn’t be able to stand anyways.

Hop nods. “Ok, you’re right, you sound like a right nutter, but I think you’re telling the truth. Let’s get you back to my place, my mum’ll know what to do.” You nod, and let him help you up. He points out his home, down the lane, you can barely make it out over the hills, and leads you off, still helping you walk. He uses this time to talk excitedly about Pokémon, and you lap up this knowledge in earnest, because if this is real, you need to know what information you know about Pokémon is relevant and what isn’t.

Reaching his home, he helps you inside, and you’re laid down on a couch while Hop’s mother, Margret is what she tells you to call her, fusses over you. You and Hop fill her in while she assesses you for injuries. When she finishes, she instructs Hop to lend you some of his clothes while she goes off to call someone named Leon.

You follow Hop up to his room, and he mumbles complaints about why it has to be his clothes while he digs through his closet. “Who’s Leon?” You ask as he pulls out a shirt and pants for you.

Hop grins wide, “Lee? He’s my older brother, and the undefeated champion of Galar! You’ve never heard of him?!” Hop is surprised, but he looks ready to fill you in on this. Champion? That term was familiar. You knew what a champion was, the greatest trainer in a region. Did that mean Pokémon Trainers, and Pokémon battles, were real? You couldn’t help the grin that split your face at this realization. You had to know! This was too cool!

“Champion? Does that mean he’s the best Pokémon Trainer? Do people really battle with Pokémon?” Now you’re the one overly excited with too many questions. Hop’s grin only gets wider, however, and he spins you around and begins leading you down the hall.

“Yep! Get changed and I’ll throw one of his matches on the telly!” He pushes you into a bathroom, and closes the door behind you. A match? You couldn’t wait! You were about to throw off Hop’s jacket and change when you caught a look of yourself in the mirror. You looked vastly different than before, with tussled brown hair that landed just past your jaw, and warm brown eyes. _Huh, those brown eyes look the same,_ you think, leaning into the mirror to take a closer look. Though, looking closer, you realized the eyes _are_ exactly the same as yours. You’re short, slight, and pale as a ghost. You look like hell, but you are also way more attractive than you’ve ever been before. Why is your body different, though? You shake your head, and run some water, wiping at your face in an attempt to feel better. Catching your own eyes on a different body was a little unnerving, so you turn away from the mirror and go back to what you were doing.

You finish changing, bringing Hop’s jacket back with you. You walk back to Hop’s room, leaning on the wall for support as you go. You take in the pictures, and realize the other male, with long purple hair, must be Hop’s older brother Leon. You wonder why Margret had to call Leon. As you enter Hop’s room, however, you’re distracted by the fact that there is a Charizard on his television screen, battling a Pokémon you don’t recognize immediately.

Hop turns to look at you as you come in. “This was his match yesterday, let me restart it!”

Everything else can wait. You are about to watch a real Pokémon battle, and that is way more important.


	4. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos omg it makes me so so happy.  
> I tried to tell myself I wouldn't care what people thought of it if I posted it but I totally do so I'm glad others can enjoy my trash.  
> Thank you <3

There are a few key things you pick up on while watching Leon fight a man named Raihan. The first being how showy battles are. Perhaps that’s more to the fact that these are giant beasts with crazy powers who run all over a giant field with their trainers while trying to take each other down.

“Don’t the Pokémon get hurt though?” You ask, the implications of battling in a real life setting starting to concern you.

“Yeah, but nothing they can’t heal off in a few hours. The goal is to knock out your opponent, not maim them.” Hop answers, his eyes still on the TV while he talks.

“But you’re making them fight for your enjoyment, doesn’t that seem unfair?” You fire back, thinking of the adorable Wooloo Hop had, wondering how he could make a creature like that do things like you see on screen. Hop mentioned he was a trainer as he was walking you over here, so you know he does this too. You don’t think you could do it.

“Huh? No, forcing them is against the rules. Pokémon want to fight, at least most of them do. Your Pokémon has to want to fight for you to be successful in battle. That’s what it takes to be a trainer, a partner who trusts their trainer fully. You can’t have that if you’re forcing your Pokémon to fight.” He’s very passionate about this, as it’s pulled his attention from the screen. He’s looking right at you as he explains, and you can see the passion burning in his amber eyes.

“You either really love Pokémon, or you really love battling, I can’t tell. But I’m glad to hear you can’t force them to battle.” You smile at him before returning to watch the match.

The next thing you learn is that type match ups are a thing, and are accurate to everything you can recall of the type match up chart. You firing off of match ups and their effectiveness, and how many you get correct, impresses Hop. “You sure you don’t have Pokémon where you’re from mate?” He teases, but you explain that you just really love Pokémon and speculate that you only remember so much because you used to play the games so much.

This launches Hop into a discussion about video games, and you’re excited to learn this world has video games too. You wonder what those will be like before Hop is pulling up another match to talk more about battling again.

Watching Leon fight is amazing. He banters with his opponents before the match starts, and then he’s bringing out one of his strong Pokémon, who will take down multiple Pokémon before his opponent can knock the powerful Pokémon out. He usually saves Charizard for last, letting the massive Pokémon take down multiple opponents without getting knocked out himself. You notice Charizard sometimes goes in for hits, but mostly fights from a distance, forcing his opponent to chase him around the massive stadium. Your lungs ache just watching the grey haired woman run after her Pokémon while they chase Charizard down.

This prompts you to ask Hop about the effectiveness of physical moves versus moves from a distance, which Hop tries to explain but doesn’t seem to grasp well. He knows it, and he knows his brother has books on it, so he’s running out of the room to grab them before you can stop him. He’s quickly back, dumping the books in your lap as he sits back on his bed once more.

You flip through one of the books and Hop turns down the volume while he tries to point to what you should be looking for from his position above you on the bed. After reading about it, you realize it works similarly to the games, and that different Pokémon were stronger physically than they were with special abilities. And there you found the magic words that made sense to you, physical moves and special moves. Physical defense and special defense were also mentioned, as well as speed. You didn’t see anything about HP, but came across something called stamina that sounded like it could refer to HP.

“A lot of that stuff goes over my head, that’s the really advanced battling techniques.” Hop explains, “I don’t know if that helps explain what you were asking about, hope it does.”

You nod, “It does, actually. It answers it exactly. Thanks.” You hand the book back to him, satisfied with what you’d learned. Hop had put another match on, this one against a bigger man with cool sunglasses. “Who are all these people Leon’s fighting, by the way? Other top trainers?”

“Uh, yeah. Oh! You wouldn’t know about All Stars! The top 32 trainers compete in a round robin tournament to determine who the best in Galar is. It’s only the second most important competition in Galar, as it determines who gets to enter the Champion Cup! Only the top 16 make it, and the Champion Cup is the most important, as it determines who the Champion of Galar is! Winner gets a chance to take down the current Champion, those matches are high stakes as it’s a single elimination tournament!” Hop doesn’t even seem out of breath by the time he’s done. There’s a wide grin on his face and a light in his eyes that tells you how important all this is to him. Makes sense, his brother is pretty wrapped up in it.

“So are all these matches ones from this All Stars tournament?” You ask, returning your focus to the match as Leon Dynamaxes his Charizard on screen. As his opponent Dynamaxes a Pokémon you also don’t recognize, you realize this whole Pokémon getting giant thing looks really silly and also seems really familiar.

“Yep!” Hop’s voice brings your attention back to him. “These are some of the better ones he’s had so far. More exciting when it’s against people who take down more of his Pokémon, I think. Leon’s in the lead, of course. There’s still two weeks left of the tournament, but he’s gonna win it, because no one can beat him!” Hop mimics the pose Leon takes when he lets Charizard onto the field, and you find a laugh bubbling out without meaning it to.

“He’s lucky to have you to support him,” you offer before turning back to the match. Leon’s down to a Haxorus now, his Charizard getting taken down early. You missed how, but a guess comes to you. “Is that a Rock-type he’s fighting?” You ask.

“Coalossal? He’s Rock-Fire-type,” Hop replies, watching the match.

“Ah, Charizard’s double weakness,” you muse.

“Whoa, you know about that too? You’re really something! How do you know about all this stuff if you don’t have Pokémon over there?” He’s looking at you again, and he’s got his eyebrows bunched together as he tries to make out your deal.

“I told you earlier, they’re made up where I’m from. I don’t know what’s true and what isn’t, I’m just spouting off stuff I know. I’m as concerned as you are that I keep getting as much right as I do. What is going on, why am I here, how did I get here?” Hop only looks more concerned as you admit this, however, “Sorry, didn’t mean to freak out, but I don’t understand what’s going on and the longer I’m here, the more I realize this is real and I have no logical way to explain how it’s happening or why.” Tears are suddenly there in your eyes, and it dawns on you how scared you really are, and how you’d been able to ignore it for a while but it was now too much to keep back. Suddenly, you’re having a full on meltdown on the floor in front of Hop’s bed.

You’re vaguely aware of Hop’s mum coming in and she’s rubbing your back as you calm down. “Sorry, I got overwhelmed,” you apologize as you dry your eyes on the sleeves of Hop’s shirt.

“Not my shirt!” Hop calls from his place on the bed, and you roll your eyes at him.

Margret explains what happened in her call with Leon. Since you’re not from Galar, and you have no form of ID, someone is going to have to get that set up for you. Leon will, apparently, but he can’t until this tournament is over. For the next two weeks, Margret and Hop will be taking care of you. Margret tells you that you can stay in Leon’s old room, and she’ll go pick some clothes up for you.

Bringing up the ID prompts Hop to ask for your full name and birthday. When you reveal your age, Hop jolts in surprise. “You don’t look that old!” He shouts as he throws his arms up in the air.

“What do you mean? I’m going to take that as a compliment,” you grumble back at Hop.

“Are you really that old? Perhaps you’d prefer to stay somewhere on your own, then?” Margret asks, and you’re a little frustrated they don’t believe you.

“Well I looked older where I’m from. I don’t know, I look different here, I don’t understand why,” you reply, shaking your head as you shrug your shoulders. You think over Margret’s actual question, and it would be nice to have your own space. “I’m not sure I know enough about this place to stay on my own, but I’d appreciate the space,” you answer honestly.

Margret nods, “There’s an old cottage down the lane, though no one’s lived in it for a while.” You’re pretty sure you know the one she’s talking about. “We’ll get it cleaned up for you and you can stay there. Tomorrow though, you’ve had quite a day already.” Margret gets up and brushes her pants off. “I’ll go get dinner going, you come let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank you very much. I appreciate all you’ve both done for me.” You smile at her as she leaves, and Hop is grinning ear to ear when you turn back to him.

“Sleepover! We can play video games and I can tell you about Pokémon all night! This is gonna be ace!” Hop bounces on the bed while he gestures wildly with his hands. You laugh at his antics, watching more battles with Hop until dinner.

You meet Hop’s grandparents at dinner, who also live here. They’ve been filled in, and you hear quiet comments from them later when they think you’ve left the room about a prophecy, and the words “Land without Pokémon” are brought up repeatedly. It’s better not to eavesdrop, you decide, and before you know it, you’re getting ready for bed. Hop lets you into Leon’s room, putting back the books he grabbed earlier, before wishing you a reluctant good night and leaving. He had wanted to play more video games, but Margret had sent you both to bed.

Laying alone in the room, it’s the first time you’ve been alone with your thoughts since you got here. You wonder what’s going to happen when you wake up, and you find the anxiety of the situation keeps you from falling asleep despite how tired you are. You take in the posters on the walls, the pictures, the trophies and awards, and try to distract yourself with your surroundings. You get up and grab some of the books and try reading, finding none of what you read really sticks with you despite how interested you are in the subject matter.

At some point you give up and realize sleep isn’t going to come without some form of comfort. Leon’s room has nothing like a stuffed toy, or anything you could really use to cuddle. There’s only one pillow on the bed too. You’re up and knocking on Hop’s door before you’ve even fully decided if you should bug the boy who has been nothing but helpful to you this whole time.

Hop’s tired face opens to your knocking, and he quickly looks concerned when he sees you. “Everything ok?” he asks, rubbing at his eyes.

You shake your head. “I can’t sleep. Do you have anything like a stuffed toy or something?” You ask, hugging your arms around yourself to keep from shivering in the cold hallway air. You’re wearing an old nightgown of Margret’s, and it’s pretty threadbare, hanging dangerously off your shoulders as it’s far too large for you.

Hop nods, wandering back into his room. You stay at the door, leaning on the door frame. You’re still a little dizzy, but it’s not nearly as bad as it was earlier. Food, water, and time to process what was going on have really helped solve that. Hop’s bumbling around his room, looking for something in the mess. He opens a large chest, and finally seems to find what he’s looking for there, as he pulls out a large stuffed Charmander.

He walks back to the door and hands it to you. “This work?” It’s easily half your size, and you wrap your arms around it and pull it to your chest.

“Perfectly,” you reply, “thank you.” He smiles and rubs the back of his neck.

“Goodnight then, mate,” he wishes before you head back to your room. Crawling back into the unfamiliar bed, this time equipped with something to cuddle, you finally find sleep as the sun begins to shine through the curtains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, all I wanted to do, the entire time I was playing Sword, was be FRIENDS with EVERYONE. I hope you like cozy friendships cuz that's where we're going fam.  
> Edit: Fixed typos, grammatical errors, and formatting issues


	5. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please point out where I make grammatical errors, keeping to present verb tense is actually killing me.

No one wakes you, either. It’s past noon by the time you pull yourself out of bed. Hop had explained your late night trip to his room earlier, so the family thankfully lets you get your sleep. Margret and her parents are already at the cottage, working on cleaning it, and Hop is left behind so he can be in charge of getting you fed. He isn’t horrible, but you have to step in and help, and together you two managed to cook pancakes for you. You’re glad your cooking skills transfer here.

After breakfast, you and Hop get ready for the day, before Hop leads you off to the cottage you’ll be staying at. The cottage is quaint, a cute kitchen, a cozy sitting room, a cramped bathroom, and a single bedroom that had been separated into two with a room divider. The last people to live here had been a mother and her young daughter, Margret explains, but they’d left long ago. It’s still bigger than the place you had back home, that you had shared with another person even. You can easily adapt to this.

After testing if everything works, Margret and her mom leave to go pick up food and clothes of your own in Wedgehurst, the nearest town. You and Hop rearrange things until their return, and Hop spends most of the day helping you make the place feel like home.

Margret returns with a whole cart full of things. She’s bought you food, as well as all your necessities, and her and Hop help you put things away. The work goes quickly with all of you working together. Eventually Margret leaves to go cook dinner, leaving you and Hop to finish up. You’re invited for dinner, and Margret promises you can come over any time you like for food.

You spend the next two weeks learning all you can about this weird world you are stuck in. You can safely say you are stuck here now, as you can’t really go anywhere until Leon deals with things. You’ve been given vague explanations for this, for why you can’t tell other people where you are from, but you think it might have to do with what you heard whispered by Hop’s grandparents that first night. It’s not like you’re eager to tell other people, anyways, as who would believe you? You don’t want to wind up locked in an insane asylum or something.

Most of the time, you’re with Hop. The two of you train with his Wooloo, play video games, or even walk to Wedgehurst together. You’re nearly attached at the hip, doing everything together. It’s not like there’s a lot of people around, though, and you and Hop seem to hit it off well, so it makes sense to spend the time together. One of your favourite things to do is teach him songs from the world you’re from, singing them together to make you feel less homesick.

“I miss home,” you mumble one day, at the end of a song.

Hop gives you a sad look, feeling worried about you and how you’re managing. “I can only imagine, mate. I can’t imagine what this must be like for you.”

“There’s so much I miss, Hop. I miss my family, my friends, my pet cat,” you list, staring down at the ground wistfully.

“Your pet cat? What’s that?” Hop asks, confusion warping his features.

“It’s kind of like your mom’s Purrloin, except cats where I’m from walk on all four legs, instead of two.” You launch into a description of cats, at least the best kind you can, as well as what other animals exist where you’re from, and what Pokémon they’re closest to. Hop finds this endlessly entertaining.

You spend a lot of time at Hop’s. Not like you have anywhere else to go. Postwick is more a farming community than a town, and there’s really nothing interesting here. Hop teaches you a lot about Pokémon, and when he’s sent on errands to Wedgehurst, you accompany him just to see him and Wooloo fight off the wild Pokémon that attack your little group. It’s an hour and a half walk to Wedgehurst from your place, plenty of time to see him and Wooloo in action. It really is so much more impressive to see in person, and to witness the connection between trainer and Pokémon required to battle well.

You catch all of Leon’s matches, and lots of matches from other impressive trainers too. A week in, Margret buys you your own Rotom Phone so you can watch the matches from home, and so she can get a hold of you without having to come all the way over. The more you watch, however, the more you want to be out there on that pitch battling too.

You help Hop with his chores too. Hop’s family owns a farm, and Hop has responsibilities there. You help him and the family out as a way to repay what you owe them, as they still have to buy your food and help support you.

You learn more about how to communicate with Pokémon. No one does a very good job of explaining it to you, more talking about the sounds they make or their body language queues, but you eventually figure out how _feeling_ their thoughts works. You’re getting really good at reading what Wooloo and the family’s Purrloin are thinking, so much so the family is shocked at your connection with them.

The two weeks until Leon can deal with things flies by, and the day is upon you that Hop is bugging you to come with him to Wedgehurst to pick Leon up at the station. He’s throwing open the window above your bed early in the morning, as he usually does to wake you up. It doesn’t latch, and it’s right above your bed, so Hop can open it from the outside and wake you without having to come inside to get you.

“Come on, mate! Time to get up!” He calls, pinching your nose shut to wake you.

“Agh!” You yell, as the action causes you to cough and sputter to catch your breath. You glare at Hop, but he remains unaffected, waiting to get to Wedgehurst to go get Leon.

“Come on, come on, we gotta hurry!” Hop bounces on his feet, his fists moving wildly with his excitement.

“Hop, I’m pretty sure his train hasn’t even got here yet. We’ve got plenty of time. Now let me get up and get ready for the day first, yeah? I still have to eat,” you explain, throwing your blankets back and getting out of bed.

“Boo, how boring! Let me in so I can help you!” Hop protests, leaning in through the window to continue calling after you.

“Door’s unlocked, you can let yourself in,” you remind him, turning to dig through your closet to pick out some clothes. You’re still eternally grateful to Hop’s family for buying you all these things.

Hop makes you a breakfast while you wash your face and brush your teeth in the bathroom, and Hop sits down to join you as well. You tease him about leaving home without eating, and he blushes slightly. “Yeah, well, I was excited!” He defends, stabbing a piece of fruit with his fork.

It’s not long until you’re done, Hop rushing you to finish eating quickly so you two can be on your way to pick up Leon. You’ve heard so much about Leon at this point that you’re excited to meet him in person, and see what a Champion is really like. Hop keeps running ahead, too excited to finally see his brother again. You follow slower, still not quite used to your improved athletic abilities here, as years of illness and poor health have left you careful of conserving energy. You want to rush ahead with him, so you occasionally let Hop grab you by the arm to drag you faster, grumbling about it to hide your excitement. You think Hop sees through you, though, with the way he grins at you and rolls his eyes.

Leon’s won first place in All Stars, of course, and Hop is sure he’s bringing presents. He won’t stop talking about this, in fact, as well as how excited he is for the barbeque tonight for Leon. Hop thinks he’s bringing Pokémon, and it’s his implication that he’s bringing Pokémon _plural_ that has you speeding up a bit.

“You really think he’ll have one for me too?” You ask, afraid to hope. Your own Pokémon? That would be so cool. You want one, and you haven’t been very good at hiding that fact. Hop has been teasing you about it the last few days.

“I’m sure of it, his hints are so obvious!” Hop responds, turning around and walking backwards to talk with you. He doesn’t make it far before tripping over his Wooloo, your warning coming too late as he tumbles over. Wooloo bleats and you _feel_ his concern and exasperation for his human partner. You laugh, as you’ve seen exactly this happen many times already.

By the time the two of you make it to Wedgehurst a crowd has gathered around in the plaza. You see wings that could only belong to Charizard, and can already guess what this is about before Hop is grabbing your arm and tugging you along at a run to the crowd gathered. “See, we _are_ late,” Hop hisses quietly to you as you hang around at the back of the crowd, the bodies packed too tightly together to try to push through.

You can’t really see Leon from back here in the crowd, and Hop makes no move to get any closer for now. So you wait beside him, and try to stand on the balls of your toes to catch Leon. You see his hand stick up in that Charizard pose, before a crowd of hands went up in front of you, mimicking the gesture, and cutting off your view.

“Hello, hello, Wedgehurst! Your Champion, Leon, is back! I promise I’ll keep doing my best to deliver the greatest battles for you all to watch!” You hear Leon’s booming voice, even if you can’t see him, and you realize he’s addressing his fans. You’re not sure if you think this is polite or if the Champion is just that incredibly full of himself. You realize it’s likely the former, judging by the crowd and how they react to him, and how comfortably they talk to him, calling him Lee like Hop does.

“Well, thank you for that! I hope you’ll all carry on training up your Pokémon and never shy from battle. Then come challenge me for the Champion title!” Leon is speaking again, and you can tell he’s serious about this wish even from back here. In fact, you _feel_ it, and you’re not sure _who_ you’re feeling it from. This is a strange feeling, as you can’t actually see the Pokémon whose feelings you’re picking up. It’s not Wooloo, when you look at him and he looks back at you and you _feel_ his confusion on why you’re grabbing his attention. You look around, someone is talking about how Charizard is too strong, and it’s the word _Charizard_ that grabs your attention, because that grabs the attention of the Pokémon who you can still _feel_ apparently and you realize it must be Leon’s own Charizard.

Charizard finally makes eye contact with you, and you feel _his_ surprise at realizing you’re reading his mind. _You’re reading his mind._ Before you can think further on that, Leon is speaking again. “Too true that Charizard is blazingly strong. But other Pokémon can be strong as well! That’s why I want the strongest challengers to fill the gym challenge and come battle me!”

Hop’s mentioned the gym challenge to you before, and his desire to enter it this year. His explanations line up with what you know from the video games, with a few differences. Badges are important, as they act as a symbol of your connection with Pokémon, and the more you have, the more opportunities are available to you in the world. It’s sort of like post-secondary, from what you understood, as a lot of the learning in this world is on how to live with and get along with Pokémon. Hop has already graduated, but from what he’s told you about school, it sounds like it was more about practical knowledge and life skills than science and algebra. The gym challenge is something you take on if you’re interested in working with Pokémon at all. Hop had explained how it’s hard work, and a lot of travelling and training, as you have to beat 8 gym leaders in battle in order to complete it. If you want to be a competitive trainer, and enter that All Stars tournament that just wrapped up, you have to complete the gym challenge.

“My wish is for Galar’s Trainers to work together to become the strongest in all the world!” Leon’s voice brings you back to the present, and you try to catch Charizard’s attention again to find out more about _what just happened there_ but Hop’s got his arm raised in the air and he’s trying to get Leon’s attention.

“Lee!” He shouts, waving his arm back and forth to get Leon’s attention through the crowd. He falls against you in his enthusiasm, and you have to reach out and right him to avoid you both falling over.

“Hop!” Leon calls back, and the crowd parts at this, and finally you get a view of Leon in person. You’re first struck by how ridiculous his get up actually looks in person. On TV, it’s different, and he’s usually in the stadium where it’s required to wear it. Here? In Wedgehurst? Is this what he wears even casually? You’d think, when he’s spent the whole night travelling across the region, he’d want to wear something comfy. Maybe it is comfy? It still looks ridiculous to you, and you have to cover your mouth to stop the snicker that comes out.

Leon walks over to the two of you, “So, my number-one fan in all the world has come out of his way to pick me up!” He booms, coming to a stop in front of the two of you, Charizard following slowly behind him. “Look at you, Hop,” he’s continuing, “I reckon you’ve grown…exactly an inch and a quarter since the last time I saw you!” Both brothers have large grins on their faces as they embrace in what looks like a bone crushing hug.

Hop laughs, “Bingo! That’s the sort of sharp eye that’s kept you undefeated so long, eh, Lee?” You’re not sure if it’s true, or if this is just a bit they’re doing, but as they separate you can see the happiness they’re both feeling at being reunited. You smile at them; you’ve heard Hop complain about how much he misses his big brother a lot over the last two weeks, and you’re happy they’re finally reunited.

“And these bright eyes over here…” Leon finally turns to look at you. “You must be the one I’ve been hearing so much about over these last two weeks, am I right?” You nod, and extend your hand and offer your name in greeting. “Nice to finally meet you!” He shakes your hand, and you’re kind of shocked at how strong his grip is. Looking him over, he could probably bench you, and that hug with Hop probably _was_ bone crushing.

“I’m the Galar region’s greatest-ever Pokémon Champion, and a massive Charizard fan, too,” Leon replies, and you wonder how someone can be so overly confident and so charming at the same time. It doesn’t even feel like he’s bragging, just that he’s stating a fact.

“I’ve always been a bigger Blastoise fan, myself,” you shoot back, and he laughs.

“Really? Too bad they aren’t native here in Galar,” Leon replies, and you feel your face drop. No Blastoise here? But Charizard lived here? You feel ripped off.

“What? No! That’s terrible news!” A smile comes to your face as you shake your head, and Leon and Hop both laugh. Though, this brings something to your attention, Pokémon aren’t the same across all regions. You wonder how similarly that lines up with the games.

“Come on, you two, let’s get back to Postwick! Bet I can beat the both of you back home!” Hop shouts before taking off at a run back out of Wedgehurst, back towards Postwick.

Leon shakes his head and sighs, “That Hop… Always wanting to be the best, isn’t he?” You nod and laugh, used to Hop’s antics by this point.

“He does this all the time,” you muse back, watching him still as he gets his head start. You have no intention of trying to chase him, as you don’t want to risk it.

“With a proper rival of his own, I bet he’d push himself to become something truly special…” Leon was still standing beside you watching Hop, who had turned around down the road and was waiting for his Wooloo to catch up. Leon’s words make you realize you haven’t seen Hop hang out with anyone else these last two weeks, you aren’t sure if he has other friends, or someone who could push him like that. You haven’t heard him mention any other friends, and there aren’t any others his age in Postwick anyways.

You start walking towards Hop, as he’s gesturing for you two to start actually moving, but Leon turns around and addresses the crowd still hanging around one last time, “Well, everyone! I bid you farewell for today! But don’t you fret…” He strikes that Charizard pose one more time beside you, and it looks so much more ridiculous in person, here in the middle of the town plaza, that you can’t stop the snort of laughter that shoots out of you in time.

“I’ll always be around to make sure everyone in Galar can have a champion time!” He finishes, and if he’s heard your laugh, he’s ignoring it. He rights himself out of his pose with a flourish of his cape, and when you realize the crowd around him had mimicked his pose, you feel a bit bad about laughing. This is clearly just A Thing people do and is normal and acceptable here and you’re going to have to get used to that.

And then Leon is charging off after Hop, yelling about how he’s not going to let Hop win that easily. Charizard marches up beside you, and you’re reminded that you connected with him earlier as you once again _feel_ his exasperation with Leon and Hop racing off. But then he looks at you, and you don’t just _feel_ now but _hear_ him express his interest in you.

So this is what the strongest Pokémon in Galar is like, you think, and you’re mildly surprised when you _feel_ Charizard understand that. _I suppose I am the strongest Pokémon in Galar_ you hear back, and already you can tell this Charizard is much more modest than his partner. Charizard snorts with your thought, you _feel_ his amusement and his agreement, and he’s pushing off the ground to fly after Leon. You begin walking too, not wanting to be left behind. You know the way back at this point, if you fall behind you at least won’t get lost. You might have to run from any wild Pokémon, as Hop has run off with his Wooloo and therefore can’t offer the protection from them he normally would, but Charizard assures you he will follow you and keep you safe. You _feel_ his exasperation once more at his partner and Hop just running off and leaving you here.

You explain to Charizard about your asthma. You speak out loud, it feels less weird when you talk and he responds than when you just think something in your head and he responds to that. You think with such a stronger connection with Charizard that he must know how this works, that he must be used to this with Leon, but he explains he doesn’t even have this strong of a connection with Leon, and has no answers for why this is happening either. He’s just as confused about it as you.

You spend the next 15 minutes walking with Charizard. You ask a lot about what Leon is like, and fill Charizard in on how the family he’s missed has been doing. This way of communication comes so easily and naturally to you that by the time you see Leon up ahead you’re surprised how far you’ve come, and how quickly time passed.

Leon is staring at the fork in the road, scratching his head like he’s trying to remember which way to go, like it isn’t immediately obvious with the sign. He turns around as he hears your voice coming up the trail, and he calls out to you and Charizard and runs over.

“There you two are!” Leon says, and you think maybe he was just looking for you and Charizard, until you feel Charizard correct you, _Nope, he’s just lost,_ and you’re reminded Hop has told you about Leon’s horrible sense of direction.

“You both ran ahead and left me behind, Charizard flew with me to keep me safe from the wild Pokémon,” you explain as Leon runs up.

“Thank you, my friend,” Leon says to Charizard as he reaches up to pet the still flying Pokémon on the head. “That’s right, you still don’t have a Pokémon of your own to protect you, Hop and I shouldn’t have run off. I’ll walk back with you,” Leon announces, and a laugh comes out of you before you can stop yourself.

“You sure you aren’t just coming with us because you forgot the way back?” You tease, gesturing to the fork in the road ahead. Leon looks shocked for a moment before rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Was it that obvious I was lost?” He asks, the smile on his face tells you he’s used to being teased about this. You nod and laugh with him, and you point out the correct way home to him.

As the three of you head back together, you answer, “Nah, Charizard told me,” you decide to be honest, because as much as you’d like to tease him, you’ve just met and this is the Champion, and your mother raised you to be polite and respectful.

“Charizard told you? How could you do me like that, my friend?” Leon calls out to Charizard, whose amusement you feel, and you can’t help but laugh. _And I’d do it again,_ you feel Charizard’s reply, and when you repeat this out loud to Leon, it’s sort of an accident that you do, Leon’s face morphs into shock, and he stops walking to look at you.

“You can tell that?” He asks, and you nod, “How?”

You tap your chest, right over your heart, “I feel it” is all you say, because you’re not sure how else to explain it.

Leon looks like he’s in thought for a moment, “Hmm, Hop told me you could communicate well with Pokémon, I had no idea you’d be able to communicate with someone like Charizard! He’s very picky about his company, so if he likes you enough to communicate with you, you must be pretty good with Pokémon!” Leon smiles at you, and turns to continue walking again. “That’s surprising, if you come from somewhere without Pokémon, that already you understand Pokémon so well.” Leon muses quieter, and you agree, you’re not sure where this has come from, or why you’re able to do it so easily.

You spend the rest of the walk back talking to Leon and Charizard. You have so many questions, about what it must be like being Champion and what battling feels like at that level, but you try to be respectful and not overwhelm this man, who is being kind enough to walk you home down the dangerous trail with dangerous monsters that do want to hurt you for fun, because you’d rather not have to deal with that on your own. You don’t want to chase Leon off, but Leon opens up rather easily about this, and talks at length about battling. You ask him more about some of the more complicated battling things that Hop didn’t have answers to, and the answers you get compare well with how things worked in the Pokémon video games where you’re from.

“How do you know so much about battling, anyways? Hop fill you in?” Leon asks after a while. He’s surprised at your extensive knowledge, of course he wants to know where you learned so much in so little time.

“A bit, but he didn’t have answers to a lot of the more advanced things. I didn’t realize some physical moves could be used from a distance in some instances, and Hop didn’t really know how to answer me when I asked him about that. He told me they were special moves!” You laugh, “But Hop’s been really helpful with confirming things with me too, so I have learned a lot from him.”

Leon nods, thinking for a moment, “How did you know about that, though? And I’m not just talking about physical moves and special moves here, you know a lot that Hop couldn’t have told you,” Leon asks, and you have to think about how to explain the video games where you’re from to him.

You eventually do, by the time you can see Hop and Leon’s house over the next hill, and you’re a little sad that you’re almost home again, as this walk with Leon and Charizard was nice.

“And most of what’s in those video games is accurate to reality?” Leon is still trying to wrap his head around this, and you understand, you’re still trying to wrap your head around this too. “How bizarre. Yet you had no idea they were even real? How does that work…?” Leon’s looking off into the distance as he thinks, and you shrug even though he’s not looking at you.

“If I knew, I’d tell you,” you say aloud, since he’s missed your shrug. You’ve kind of accepted this at this point, even if it made no sense to you. You aren’t going to be able to make sense of it, at least not now, not on your own, so you’ve put it aside to stop worrying about it.

Leon nods, still in thought, but doesn’t say anything more about it. The remainder of the walk is silent, until you reach the top of the hill and Hop spots you, bolting over to the three of you, shouting about how long you all took and by how much he’d beat you by. Leon laughs good-naturedly, reminding Hop that someone had to walk with you, and Hop begins apologizing to you profusely for leaving you behind.

Heading through the gate, your group noisily enters the family garden, heading immediately to the battle pitch near the garage. “Come on, Lee! You promised us a present! So out with it!” Hop shouts, spinning to face Leon. The four of you gather around the pitch, Charizard landing behind Leon with a surprisingly soft sound for such a large creature. “You brought Kieran and I Pokémon. You did, didn’t you? I know you must have!” Hop continues badgering Leon, and you shake your head at his impatience. He at least waited until you all arrived home, you justify, as you watch a big grin spread across Leon’s face.

“Right then! The greatest gift from the greatest Champion…” You stop yourself from rolling your eyes, but you can _feel_ Charizard agrees with you, and you can _feel_ his amusement at you being just as exasperated with his partner as he is.

“It’s show time, everyone!” Leon shouts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry but Leon is a walking fashion disaster and I will call him out on it.  
> I've almost reached 10k words and still haven't even got a Pokémon yet, I'm worried my pacing is bad. I hope this isn't too slow or boring.  
> Writing this has really been helping me cope with my anxiety, surprisingly, so I might actually keep this up longer than I anticipated.


	6. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the people who left comments, I'm so motivated to write because of you. Thank you for restoring my faith in my writing abilities!

“Take a good look, you two!” Leon stands with his hands on his hips, a wide grin splitting his face as he talks. Suddenly, he throws three Pokéballs he’d had hidden in his left hand out onto the battle pitch. Out pop three Pokémon, none of which you recognize. The three Pokémon immediately split off to explore this new place they’re in.

Leon, ever helpful, introduces each one to you and Hop. “The grass-type Pokémon, Grookey! He’s soothing, like a nice, long walk in the woods.” Leon points to the green monkey who shoots off to the tree on the other side of the pitch, climbing it and playing. When hearing his name, his eyes shoot over to your direction. You catch his eyes, and _feel_ this Pokémon’s sense of curiosity, as well as his more easy going nature.

Leon moves on, pointing to the next Pokémon. “The water-type Pokémon, Sobble! He adapts to anything, as surely as water flows.” Your attention broken, you look over to the blue Pokémon heading to the pond beside the tree. He dives in gracefully, and looks out at the three of you when he surfaces. When his eyes meet yours, you _feel_ his scared, more timid nature, as well as his cry-baby tendencies.

“And the fire-type Pokémon, Scorbunny! He’s filled to bursting with fiery passion!” Looking over to the white and red bunny hopping from foot to foot all over the pitch, you’re a little surprised to notice him leaving small puffs of fire with every step. He cries out with a squeal when Leon calls his name, and then he looks at you.

And you _feel_ _so much._

All at once, you feel so much from this Pokémon, his desire to be the strongest Pokémon, to beat that Charizard that barely had to try when fighting him yet almost knocked him out, to _be the best_.

He’s energetic and excitable, and has a tendency to show off, like he is doing now as he prances around the field, doing the fire thing on purpose.

Your smile is so wide, it hurts.

Ruining the moment, however, is Sobble, as he carelessly squirts out a stream of water, hitting Scorbunny on the back of the head. Scorbunny loudly smacks his foot against the ground, as he springs in large leaps around the pitch. “Thump!” you shout out of instinct, an old verbal quirk making itself known, thinking of bunnies from your own world. Scorbunny hops so high, he hits the branch Grookey is sitting on, causing the berry Grookey had been playing with to fall, though Grookey remains unfazed by the shaking. The berry lands in the water, causing Sobble to panic, hop out of the water, and begin crying. Grookey hops down and comforts him, and Scorbunny calms down enough to hop over and help. You can _feel_ the three Pokémon know each other and have spent previous time together, and are friends.

“All right! Line up, everyone!” Leon shouts, and your attention is brought back to you, and it feels weird to snap out of such a strong connection with the Pokémon like that. You’re momentarily dizzy from it. As the three Pokémon line up in the center of the pitch, you’re reminded that Leon brought these Pokémon _for you and Hop_. You were going to get a Pokémon! “Which will you choose?” Leon asks, and indeed, which one will you pick? Which one will Hop pick? You look over at him, trying to see which one he is looking at, but you can’t tell. Hop should pick first, right? This is his brother, after all.

Hop looks over at you and smiles. “Go on, you pick first. I’ve already got my Wooloo, after all.” You could almost hug him, but you refrain, instead smiling wide and thanking him.

You walk up to the three Pokémon waiting on the pitch. Kneeling down, you look each one in the eye once more, _feeling_ the connection you had with each before making your decision. You and Grookey would get along well, you gather, his easy going nature would match well with your own. You and Sobble, you don’t see getting along as well. He’s too in need of nurturing and care, you reckon that might exhaust you. You and Scorbunny, however…

That connection is powerful. A smile settles on your face as your eyes come to rest on him. He wants to go far, he wants to be the best, and when you remember watching Leon’s matches, and your desire to be out there battling like that, you think you do too. Scorbunny picks up on these feelings of yours, and he’s decided he wants you, too. You both want to stand on that pitch and be the very best. Your childhood dream. He instructs you to raise your fist, and you do, and he runs over and bumps his own. A laugh erupts out of you as you pick him up into a hug.

“Ace pick, mate! Seems he more picked you though,” Hop teases as he squats down next to you, smiling. “Hmm, now it’s my turn,” He looks over both Sobble and Grookey, before nodding. “Grookey, I pick you!” Hop extends his hand, and you think Hop was going for a high five, but Grookey instead jumps up and grabs onto Hop’s arm, climbing it like a branch. You both laugh as Grookey scampers up and nuzzles into Hop’s neck.

Hop’s next words tear your heart out. “I’m aiming to be the next Champion, so be ready! You and I’ll be doing some serious training!”

Oh no, have you taken the wrong Pokémon? Should you have gone with Grookey, so Hop could take Scorbunny? Scorbunny wants that too, and now _you_ want it, but you wouldn’t have if you had just gone with Grookey. You don’t want to get in Hop’s way, he’s wanted this for a long time. How could you forget? How could you be so careless?

Wooloo comes over to Hop, and he’s introducing them already, and it’s too late. You look on with sadness, though you also _feel_ Sobble’s sadness from behind you at getting left behind, so you’re not sure if this sadness is actually your own.

“I bet you will, Hop. That’s why I brought along these Pokémon for you two.” Leon and Charizard are watching you two, both grinning widely, “So the two of you can battle and train and grow stronger together, to try to reach me!” He brought these Pokémon specifically so we could train and battle with them? How much had Hop told Leon about you? How had he known you wanted this too?

Leon begins walking towards you, and your attention returns to the remaining Sobble. “What’ll happen to him?” You ask Leon as he comes near.

Leon just laughs, coming to stand beside Sobble, as he looks down directly at him, “And you’ll come with me!” Leon announces, and you feel relief flood you, though you’re not sure if it’s your own or Sobble’s. Your connection with Sobble wanes after that, as you noticed it did with Grookey when Hop picked him, so it no longer matters, as Sobble’s overpowering feelings are now Leon’s problem to deal with. Charizard has walked up beside Leon now, and Leon glances over at his partner quickly before returning to Sobble. “Charizard will show you the ropes. He’s strict, but real strong and real kind, too!”

Sobble crawls over to Charizard, and the two begin bonding. You look down at Scorbunny, still in your arms, and he’s decided he wants you to let go so he can explore more. You set him down and he hops off, and as you _feel_ him begin to want to battle Charizard, you tell Scorbunny to leave him alone, that the two of you still have a long ways to go before you’re ready to take him on.

“All right, enough of all this trainer nonsense for one night,” a voice interrupts you all, and you turn to see Margret walking towards the group of you. “Dinner is almost ready, you lot get the tables out here set.” She instructs, though she walks over to Leon and embraces him. Hop gestures you over and you follow him to the tables Margret was talking about. You two give mother and son time to reunite while you help Hop drag the tables out onto the pitch.

After a moment, Leon is joining you with Charizard, and set up goes quicker still when he brings out his remaining Pokémon. “All right everyone! Time to come out and relax! We’re home!” He shouts, as he tosses multiple Pokéballs out into the field behind the home.

The first that comes out is one you recognize, but don’t remember the name of. You know it’s from one of the games you never played. Aegislash, you think might be the name, you’ve seen him battle with this one. The next is one you know you don’t know, but you know the third, Haxorus. A Seismitoad is next, followed by what looks like a Mr. Mime, but different, so you’re not sure what that one is either. Rhyperior is the final Pokémon he tosses out.

You don’t realize why Leon is staring at you and giving you a funny look until you realize you’d been pointing at each one and were speaking your thoughts. “Never seen a Dragapult or a Mr. Rime before?” Leon asks with a smirk, and you feel a bit embarrassed.

“It’s not like I’ve seen you battle with them,” you defend, which is true, you haven’t seen him use either of them in battle. He has a lot more Pokémon than you thought, given that you only ever saw him use a few of these ones in battle.

“Would you like to meet them?” He asks, and you nod your head vigorously. Leon walks over to a gate, and unlatches it, allowing you access to the field behind it. You turn to look back at Scorbunny, making sure he wasn’t getting into any trouble, but he was having fun playing with Grookey and Wooloo by the garage.

Leon walks out into the field and you follow, stopping shortly in as Leon introduces you to each of his Pokémon. You’re overwhelmed by how powerful they all feel, and how well they listen to Leon. As he pets each one as he introduces them to you, you can tell that he loves them all very much, and they love him. You connect with each one individually, and it’s just as intense to connect with them as it was to connect with Charizard.

Leon’s Pokémon help set up the tables and chairs, and you’re done with plenty of time to then help set the table. You and Hop are inside handing things through the door to Pokémon, as Leon sets them on the tables. Margret comes outside to get the barbeque going, and before you know it, dinner is ready, and everyone is gathering around to get food. The food is amazing, and you have quite the fun time. You spend a lot of time with Scorbunny, getting to know him as he gets to know you. He sits on your lap as you eat, and you feed him.

“You’re gonna spoil him,” Hop warns, but you just laugh.

“But he’s so cute!” You shoot back, and Scorbunny squeals in reply. You _feel_ his agreement and his appreciation of being spoiled like this. It’s nice, and as Hop tries to wrangle his Grookey into eating and not playing with the food, you tease him back, “At least Scorbunny _is_ eating!”

Hop scoffs at you as he returns to trying to get Grookey to eat. You spend most of dinner listening to Leon catch up with his family, as everyone’s focus is on him tonight. You don’t have much to chime in on, so you idly listen while watching Scorbunny. Once he’s finished eating, he wants down so he can run more. You watch him chase Wooloo around for a bit; at least they seem to be getting along.

Dinner wraps up, and you help clean up before heading home for the night. You’re tired, it’s been a long day, and you’re sure the family would like some time together. As you wish everyone good night, you’re excited to spend some time alone with just Scorbunny. You pick him up, letting him know through your connection that the two of you are heading home. Leon hands you his Pokéball as he wishes you good night, and Hop gives you a quick hug before he’s running off trying to get Grookey down from somewhere he’s not supposed to be.

As Scorbunny trots up to your home, you’re briefly worried about that fire thing he does with his feet, and if it’s safe to let him inside on the wooden floors of the cottage. The thought barely finishes before you _feel_ Scorbunny tell you he can choose not to do it, and will not indoors for you.

“Thank you,” you reply out loud, because speaking makes this feel more normal and like you have control over this bond.

You spend the rest of the evening with Scorbunny. You show him around your place, and go over some rules. He’s eager to make you happy, so teaching him how to behave is easy. The bond really helps - it’s so easy to instruct him when he can tell exactly what you mean, and you can _feel_ what he needs. Getting house rules out of the way, Scorbunny wants to show off what he can do for you, so you take him outside. There’s a farm behind your cottage, with lots of space, much more than the tiny garden in front of your cottage, so you hope the family who owns it won’t mind you out there. There’s no crops right now, and you’ve met the family that owns it, so you’re pretty sure they won’t mind.

You hop the gate, and Scorbunny hops over it after you. He mostly performs tricks, though he shows you a few things you think could be used in battle. Your thought of battle gets Scorbunny excited, and he wants to learn more moves to impress you. You know he’s a fire type, so you think about the fire moves you know that low level Pokémon can learn. Scorbunny can’t seem to figure out how to make any work, however, and you think maybe you both need more practice before you can get that one. Scorbunny refuses to give up, however, and the two of you stay out in that field long after the sun has set and the stars come out.

Scorbunny is practicing hitting one of the fence posts, trying to get a fire attack to work, as you sit down in the grass and watch him. Your eyes are drawn to the stars, how bright and beautiful they are, and you’re struck with a pang of homesickness. You’re reminded of nights spent under the stars, singing and dancing with family and friends, and naturally songs begin filling your head as you sing aloud, tears falling freely as you allow yourself to miss home. Scorbunny takes a break, wanting to comfort you, and you hold him close to your chest while you let yourself have a good cry. He’s confused, as there isn’t anything he can really do to help, but you assure him that holding him like this is enough, and that you have to feel this way for a bit to get better.

Normally, when you get like this, Hop is around. He usually offers a hug, and lets you talk about things from your world to feel better, no matter how absurd they sound to him. Without him, though, it takes longer to get over these intense feelings. Eventually, the feeling passes, and you decide it’s time for bed. You head back inside, unaware of the eyes that have been watching you all night.

You barely get ready for bed at all, only going as far as changing before you let yourself fall into your bed, Scorbunny hopping up beside you. He curls up next to you and lets you hold him, still concerned about you, and you fall asleep easily.

The next morning, you’re awoken by a screeching bunny demanding food. Scorbunny is hopping on the bed, tugging on your arm, and you let him drag you up and out of bed. You’re not actually sure what he’s supposed to eat, you had just been handing him food he wanted to eat last night, but now that you’re in your kitchen, looking in your fridge, you’re not actually sure _what_ Pokémon eat. Thinking about it, you’ve mostly seen Hop feed Wooloo similar things humans could eat, and a lot of oats, and Leon had fed all his Pokémon food from the barbeque as well. Nothing had been specially prepared for the Pokémon, and Scorbunny helpfully points out food in the fridge he finds appealing, and you decide it’s probably fine. You’ll ask Leon about what food to feed Scorbunny later.

You spend more time getting ready this morning, as you went straight to bed last night. Scorbunny follows you around as you do, and when you go to get in the shower, he tries to follow you. Too late you warn him about the water, not seeing him follow you in on time, and he panics. You quickly shut the water off, grabbing a towel and catching him as he hops up in the air. You explain to him what happened, and apologize repeatedly, trying to calm him down. He’s knocked a few things over and made quite the mess in his panic, but you hold him and dry him and worry about the mess later. He calms down quickly in your arms, and eventually agrees to wait outside the shower for you.

You finish getting ready without incident after that, Scorbunny ever helpfully wanting to do whatever he could to aid you. You find it so endearing, and you realize as he helps you put away your morning’s dishes, that you are absolutely in love with him, and you will do anything for him. It hits you so powerfully, it _feels_ like it reverberates back at you through the bond, and it takes you a moment to realize that’s because Scorbunny _feels the same_. He tackles you in an attempt to hug you, and you nearly lose your balance with the force, turning his momentum into a spin as you hug him tight to your chest. You don’t know how or why, but you’re so thankful you have this bond with him.

Once ready to start the day, you and Scorbunny head out. You’ve remembered to grab his Pokéball and put it in your bag, though you haven’t yet put him back in it. You haven’t felt the need to, and you’re not immediately sure why you would. Perhaps for large Pokémon like Leon owned, it would be unrealistic for them to be out of their balls indoors, but Scorbunny is rather small, and happily lets you carry him in your arms, so you only bring it in case you need it in an emergency or something.

You’re barely out the door when your Rotom phone buzzes and pops out in front of you, indicating a text from Hop telling you to come over. You smile and reply, “On my way!” before heading over there.

Crossing the hill, you see Hop and Leon out in the yard, Leon’s Pokémon out playing in the fields behind the home while Hop’s play near him. Scorbunny lets out a shrill cry of joy at seeing his friends, and he hops off ahead of you, alerting Leon and Hop to you in the process. You smile and wave, and Hop waves back while Leon smiles brightly.

“Morning! How are you and Scorbunny doing?” Hop greets you as you come through the gate, Grookey climbing up him to greet you as well.

Scorbunny has run off to greet Sobble and tell him about the shower, and you laugh, “Great, though he learned the hard way this morning that showers are wet,” Scorbunny turns around and cries out at you, upset you told everyone about that, but he’s over it quickly when Sobble comes to comfort him. Hop and Leon both laugh too, as Grookey hops off Hop’s arm to go say hi to Scorbunny. “Got a better handle on Grookey today?” You tease.

“He better, he was up all night training with him!” Leon chimes in, “I noticed you were too,” Leon looks at you with a knowing grin, and you briefly worry how much he’d seen last night if he knew about that. “I’m glad I was right to trust you both with these Pokémon, and I’m sure you’re both going to become amazing trainers one day!” Leon boasts, that wide grin he wears so often around family splitting his face once more. You realize you’ve never seen him smile like this on TV, and you wonder if being home is what brings out this smile in him. It makes you smile back without even meaning to.

Hop looks surprised, however, “You too mate? Guess I’m in for a real rival with you then, eh?” Hop recovers quickly and a light dances in his eyes that you’ve only ever noticed when he’s battling with Wooloo.

Rivals? But weren’t the two of you friends? Before you can reply, Leon cuts in, “Then listen up, new trainers! Believe in yourself and your Pokémon! If you trust in one another and carry on battling side by side long enough, then someday…you may even become worthy rivals for me, the unbeatable Champion!” Leon looks directly at you as he says this, a serious look on his face, and you feel like he knows something you don’t. It’s not unlike the look he gets before taking on an opponent in battle, and you wonder if he really thinks you could become a rival to him. You hope so, Scorbunny has a score to settle against that Charizard, and the idea of taking on the Champion in battle fills you with such drive and passion. Maybe that’s more what Scorbunny is feeling, you’re still getting used to sorting out your own feelings from his when they get powerful, but you know in your heart you feel it. You want to be Leon’s rival.

“What are you looking at her for, Lee? I’m the one who’ll be coming to challenge you!” Hop’s voice breaks you out of your thoughts. If Hop wants to take on the Champion too, then that does make you rivals, doesn’t it? That feels strange to you, you’ve come to consider Hop such a good friend these past two weeks. You feel guilty at the thought that chasing your dream could mean crushing his. You don’t want to lose his friendship. “If you think she might be able to challenge you, then I guess she’s my first rival!” Hop reinforces your thoughts with that, and you glance over at him to find him grinning at you. You feel the nervous grin crawl onto your face, but if Hop notices, he doesn’t mention it, “But I’m not planning to lose to her and miss out on my chance to beat the unbeatable Champion!”

Hop turns to you fully and takes a step closer to you, “Just having a Pokémon with you doesn’t make you a real trainer, you know.” You feel a little insulted at Hop’s words, of course you know, but he has a weird look in his eyes that you don’t recognize so you don’t push it. “Proper trainers raise their Pokémon up to be first-rate in battle, too!” Hop continues as he crosses his arms across his chest.

“Oh, and you think you’re worthy of calling yourself such a proper trainer already, Hop?” Leon cuts in, and you snicker at the startled reaction Leon’s words pull out of Hop. “Guess I’ll be the judge of that! Let’s see how you handle yourself in a battle against your newly declared rival, if she’s up for it.” Leon winks at you, and you feel a flush come to your cheeks. Again, you’re reminded of your worry of how much he had seen, and you really hope he didn’t catch that breakdown you had. “What do you say? Willing and ready to take Hop on in the first ever Pokémon battle of your life?” Leon asks you, and your heart thumps loudly in your chest. Your first ever Pokémon battle!

Scorbunny is running over, circling around you as he cries, and he’s as excited as you are, possibly more so, you can’t tell. You’re probably going to have your ass handed to you, Hop’s had battle experience already and has two Pokémon to your one. You might have stood a chance if Scorbunny had learned a fire move, and you _feel_ his disappointment before you register you’ve thought such a thing. You remind him that you’ll both do your best, that’s all the both of you can do, the rest will come with practice, and this seems to cheer him up once more.

Finally, you look up and meet Leon’s eyes once more before nodding. A grin splits Leon’s face, “Believe in your partner Pokémon! And care for them, too, with all your heart. Do those two things, and I’m certain you’ll learn to choose the moves that suit your Pokémon.” Leon was looking at you again, and you feel like that was a dig at you. Could he tell you doubted yourself and Scorbunny briefly there? “And more importantly,” he’s continuing, looking to Hop now, “to have a champion time battling with them!”

Hop turns to face you, “Alright! Bring it on! I won’t lose to you!” He shouts, grinning before running to the battle pitch in their yard. He digs in his pockets and pulls out his Pokéballs, recalling both his Pokémon. You walk out to the other side of the pitch, and Scorbunny follows you. You instruct him to the center of the ring, and he stands there ready. “Not gonna recall your Pokémon?” Hop asks, raising an eyebrow at you. Leon’s walked over near the garage, and is holding Sobble, while the rest of Leon’s Pokémon gather in from the field to watch as well. Charizard comes right into the yard and comes to stand near Leon.

“Why bother? You know exactly who I’m going to send out.” You reply to Hop, shrugging your shoulders.

“It’s good practice for throwing out a Pokéball!” Hop counters, and he punches one into his fist, before winding back and tossing it.

As Wooloo appears on the pitch, it fully sinks in.

You have no idea how to battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to explain a bit about how I’m using formatting to try to do this thought link thing between the reader and her Pokémon, but I couldn’t figure out how to in the actual story so gomenasorry I’m doing it in the notes.  
> Basically everything that’s pushed across the bond are feelings, not words, unless: there are specifically “” marks around something (which means it’s spoken), it says specifically in the line that something is said aloud (which I will usually put “” marks around but occasionally may forget), or it’s in italics (like how Charizard spoke to the reader in Chapter Four).  
> I hope that makes it less confusing, I am doing my best, thank you so much for reading and leaving kudos and comments. I feel very blessed. I want to do my very best for you all. <3  
> Uh now excuse me as I’m forced to figure out how the f**k I’m going to write Pokémon battles because I’ve been avoiding thinking about that and now I realize I have absolutely no plan. None. No idea how I’m going to tackle this. Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha


	7. Interlude One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still working on writing the battle but it's coming slowly so I got this done up in the mean time.

“Listen, Raihan, I need help,” Leon cuts in immediately once the line picks up.

“Mmm, always interesting when the undefeatable Champion himself needs help.” Though it takes Raihan a moment to recover, his voice has a teasing tone to it. Leon imagines he’s got his full grin on, but he hasn’t set this to be a video call for a reason. Leon’s looking rough - he’s been up most of the night for the last several nights. He doesn’t want Raihan to see him like this, not yet, not before he explains what’s going on.

Leon lets out a sigh, “It’s… Ah, this is going to be complicated to explain, but I need help getting someone registered as a citizen in Galar…” Leon’s trying to figure out how to word this, how to explain what he needs help with.

“Why would you need help with that? Just ask Rose, unless this is something you can’t ask Rose about?” Raihan’s voice becomes serious, and Leon’s glad he’s catching on quick.

“Rose can’t know about her. He can’t think she came from…anywhere but a region with Pokémon.” Leon tries to explain.

“That’s kind of vague, and it depends a lot how old she is, mate,” Leon’s sure Raihan’s teasing by his tone, but he’s not sure what about.

“Mum said she looks Hop’s age, so 18 I’m assuming,” Leon replies regardless, and he hears Raihan chuckle over the line. “This is serious, please,” Leon begs, he’s too tired for Raihan’s games tonight.

“Ok, so what, you need a fake ID? Again, why come to me? I’m not the one with the ties to that.” Raihan sounds like he’s getting up and doing something as he talks, and Leon sighs and takes a moment to figure out how to reply to that.

He runs a hand over his face, knocking his cap off his head in the process, “I don’t know how to ask him,” Leon answers honestly.

“So you’re going to blather to me and expect me to ask him?” Raihan’s still teasing and Leon’s tempted to turn the camera on, but that’ll get Raihan concerned for the wrong reasons.

“That is why I’m asking for help,” Leon’s voice has lost all tone at this point, he’s tired.

“Alright,” Raihan agrees softly, and Leon’s glad he’s got the teasing done. “So what’s her story then? Why can’t Rose know?” Raihan continues after a moment, sounding like he’s getting comfy on his couch. He’s taking this seriously now, Leon’s relieved.

“Rose told me about a prophecy, it’s from Johto but it’s rang true in other regions as well. Rose’s been watching out for it to happen here,” Leon explains, shifting forward in his chair and resting his elbows on his legs.

Raihan hums in understanding. “What’s it got to do with this girl?” He asks, intrigued now.

Leon thinks for a moment. “Well, I don’t remember exactly how the prophecy goes, but it had something to do with desperate times, and a hero will emerge from a Land without Pokémon or something, I don’t remember word for word.” He’s trying to recall that conversation with Rose about this, and he wishes he paid more attention then.

“Again, what’s it got to do with the girl?” Raihan’s trying to get Leon to get to the point, but Leon’s still figuring out what the point is.

“I’m getting to that,” Leon shoots back, “the important bit here is that Rose is looking for someone who’s come from somewhere that doesn’t have Pokémon. This girl says she’s from somewhere without Pokémon. Rose cannot find out.”

“This a ‘just a precaution’ thing or is there more you’re not telling me,” Raihan pries, and Leon takes a moment to answer.

“I really hope it’s just a precaution thing, Rai. I really do. I don’t want to take any chances though. You know why.” Leon’s voice has gone quiet and strained, and he’s shaking before he fully realizes it. He takes a deep breath and tries to shake the feeling of dread from him.

Raihan’s quiet for a moment on the other end of the line, before he lets out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I’ll help,” his voice has taken on a similar tone to Leon’s, and he sounds suddenly very tired.

They lapse into silence on the line for a while, though it’s comfortable, and Leon uses the time to compose himself. “I miss you,” it comes out without him really thinking about it, and Leon feels it so genuinely in his heart in this moment that it almost brings him to tears.

“I miss you too, it’s All Stars though, we still got three more days until we’re both in the same city.” So Raihan’s been counting down the days too.

Leon knows well, he’s counting on that time to get some proper sleep so Raihan won’t be so worried about him when they do finally see each other. “Can’t come soon enough,” he says instead, he doesn’t want Raihan to know how much stress this has been causing him.

“I’ll talk to Piers tonight,” as if reading his mind, Raihan replies.

“You’re still in Hammerlocke? You’re battling in Wyndon tomorrow.” It’s Leon’s turn to be worried about Raihan now.

“Can’t a guy stay an extra night in his own home? I’m going to sleep better here anyways. My match is later anyways, plenty of time to get there. If I’m up by 7 I can catch the 8 AM train and I’ll still have at least an hour before my match.” Raihan sounds like he’s got this planned out, so this wasn’t a sudden decision.

Leon glances at the clock. It’s nearly midnight, Raihan should be sleeping. “Sorry for keeping you up then,” Leon apologizes softly.

Raihan makes a noncommittal noise that usually goes along with a shrug, but Leon can’t see him so he can only assume. “’s fine, I was already up. Couldn’t sleep. Don’t think Piers can either, I heard him pacing earlier.”

“Dunno why he finds your guest room comfier than the hotel there,” Leon teases; he already knows why Piers stays there, but it’s nice to have some ammunition to get back at Raihan for earlier.

Raihan just laughs, though. “Hey, you stay here too. So does Nessa. My place is way more fun.”

Leon laughs along with him, because it’s true, Raihan’s place is way more fun to stay at than the hotel, but he has different reasons for thinking so than Nessa and Piers do. Raihan is also a pretty good cook, and is good at making others feel at home and cared for in his home. During All Stars, when he’s got a tough match against one of the best trainers in Galar every day, and he’s travelling to a different city nearly every day to do them, having a familiar and comfortable place to crash is way better than living out of a suitcase in a different hotel room each night. Raihan’s also got a spacious yard where his Pokémon can be, so they too can relax. There’s little room for all Leon’s large Pokémon in the hotels. The Budew Drop Inn where he’s staying here in Motostoke has enough room for him to let out only one of his Pokémon at a time.

“I’ll let you go then, have your talk and get some sleep. I should try to get some myself,” Leon finally replies, feeling more tired and relaxed now than when he first thought to call Raihan. He’s sure he can get some proper sleep now.

“Mmm, I’ll text you in the morning what I find out, now go get some sleep so you don’t look so bloody knackered for the cameras again,” Leon can hear the grin in Raihan’s voice, and of course Raihan noticed he looked exhausted even with the makeup.

“Yeah yeah, sod off you arse, I’m going to bed. ‘Night.” Leon barely waits for Raihan to wish him a good night in return before he’s cutting the line, a little miffed Raihan had figured him out so easily. Raihan knows him better than anyone, so he’s hoping no one else has caught on to his state and that it’s just Raihan. Leon knows Raihan’s teasing is only because he cares, and he’s sure he’ll hear an earful about taking care of himself in a few days when they can spend time together in person.

Leon quickly gets ready for bed, finding sleep comes to him easily now that he’s not dealing with this alone.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“Hey Lee!” Hop blurts excitedly as his brother picks up the line.

“Little brother! How are you doing tonight?” Leon asks, immediately picking up on Hop’s happier tone. The boy has been doing so much better since Kieran arrived, Leon is thankful he finally has a friend his age so close by. Hearing Hop be excited about things, instead of the monotonous boy Leon’s used to hearing on the phone, is a change Leon is thankful for.

“Great! Kieran taught me another song today! She got really homesick, and said she missed her pet Kassy a lot, but I got her talking about her pet and she slowly cheered up! Then I got her to sing, because that always makes her feel better, and today she taught me this song about best friends! It was really sweet!” Hop continues rambling on about Kieran, and Leon listens intently. He’s yet to meet this Kieran, so he’s also a little worried about the person she might be, but from the way Hop gushes about her, Leon doesn’t think he really has anything to worry about. She sounds like she’s got a good head on her shoulders, and she’s taking good care of Hop.

“Oh really? Well, what about you? What did you do?” Getting his brother to talk about anything other than Kieran was the problem now. All he wanted to do was talk about how amazing she was, and what they did together, but Leon wanted to hear about his baby brother, too.

“Well, we had some errands from Mum, so we went to Wedgehurst together.” Hop’s still answering about him _and_ Kieran, so Leon sighs and shakes his head. He realizes he’s not going to get Hop to talk about just himself tonight. Not that Leon _really_ minds, as hearing Hop sound so happy is just as nice.

After listening to Hop gush about how great of a friend Kieran was today for another ten minutes, Leon realizes he will have to change the subject or Hop will never stop. “So, how’s Wooloo?” He tries, hoping to get Hop onto another topic.

“Amazing! Kieran taught him this new way to turn out of a roll, so now his reaction times are even better than before!” Still about Kieran, there’s no escaping the girl in any form of conversation. Leon really shouldn’t judge, though, as he has many friends all over Galar, and Hop doesn’t have any, at least not any that aren’t Hop’s friends through Leon. Sonia might count, but again, she was a friend of Hop’s through Leon.

“I’m happy to hear that, Hop! You two sound like quite the pair!” Leon scratches his beard, unsure what else to say to get Hop to talk about a topic he can have more say in.

“We are! She’s the best friend I’ve ever had, Lee! She’s ace!” Hop gushes, his voice honey smooth as he speaks about his new friend so highly.

“I can’t wait to meet her, then! I’m glad you’ve got a good friend there, Hop. And she sounds like she’s really good with your Pokémon,” Leon adds, relenting himself to hearing about her all night.

“Yeah! She barely talks to them, she seems to just understand them all on her own. She picked it up so fast, too! Sometimes she understands Wooloo better than I do, or Purrloin better than Mum!” This shocked Leon, as that was unheard of. Someone else understanding a person’s first partner Pokémon more than them? That didn’t happen, at least not under normal circumstances. Something was off with this girl, and Leon wanted to know what it was.

“Is that so?” Leon asked, hoping Hop would go on further about it.

“Yeah! She just looks over at them and kind of stares at them for a while but then she knows exactly what they’re trying to say! I’ve never seen her get it wrong, either!” Hop replies, wonder filling his voice as he speaks about his friend.

“Huh, sure sounds interesting,” Leon murmurs, finding himself more interested about this girl. He is going to have to look into things a bit more, isn’t he? So much for an early bed time tonight. Leon lets Hop ramble about his new friend for a while more, listening for anything more that might help him figure out what weird stuff was going on with Kieran.

After a while, Leon realizes it’s all more mundane stuff that he really doesn’t have the time for. As much as he loves his little brother, and misses him dearly, he really wants to go to bed and get some proper sleep. Morning is going to come too quickly for his liking, and he’s got another battle. “Hop, I have to get ready for bed now, talk more tomorrow?” Leon asks, hoping to make it up to the boy with two nights in a row of phone calls.

“Ok! Talk to you tomorrow, Lee! Have a good sleep!” Hop babbles, and it brings a small chuckle out of Leon.

“Yes, goodnight Hop. Love you. See you when this tournament is over. I have presents for you!” He’s probably more excited for the presents than Hop is, but that’s ok. Hop will be excited once he sees them.

“Presents?! What did you get?!” Hop demands loudly, his voice filling with energy once more.

“Ah, ah, ah! That would be spoilers! But I promise you’ll fall in love with them immediately!” Leon’s trying his best not to give too much away about his little presents. Boy is he sure glad he managed to get three little Pokémon for Hop, as Leon’s sure Hop is going to want to share with his new friend.

“ _Them?!_ Lee, what did you get?!” Hop only grows more insistent, and Leon can imagine his fists flying wildly on the other end of the line.

“Goodnight Hopkins! I hope you sleep well!” Leon yells over him, before taking the phone away from his ear as he listens to a complaining Hop. He hangs up on him with a sigh, crashing back into his bed with a groan. At least he’s getting to see his boyfriend soon, it’s the only reprieve Leon has.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Leon leaves the house after dark, his Mum still up in the kitchen nursing a cooled cup of tea. He’s only finally managed to get away from her so he can put his Pokémon to bed out here, as it’s been a few months since the last time they were able to make it out. He always likes to make sure they’re comfy and happy before putting them to bed. What kind of trainer would he be if he didn’t pay attention to the needs of his Pokémon, after all?

Wandering out into the field, Leon whistles loudly to call the attention of all his Pokémon in the dark. The group of them gather, with Charizard bringing Sobble along with him. Leon’s thankful Charizard is taking his role as Sobble’s mentor so strictly, as he really doesn’t have the time to be watching and raising such a young Pokémon up from scratch. He just wants to do it again, as it’s such a fun and satisfying experience. He had raised his Dragapult up from an egg, and look at him now - he’s one of Leon’s strongest team members. Leon hopes Sobble will become a strong Inteleon to fit into his team.

“Alright, make sure you don’t wander too far in the dark, as you don’t want to accidentally destroy Mum’s crops! Try to stay near the house, there’s hay bales behind the shed if you need any to lay on. I’m trusting you lot to behave!” Leon lectures his Pokémon, and they all nod obediently. He’s managed to raise himself some top notch Pokémon, and Leon couldn’t be prouder. Letting them off to do their thing and wind down for the night, Leon turns back towards his home to start getting ready for bed himself. “Goodnight, my friends! Take care and sleep well!” He calls over his shoulder, casting a glance back at them before going.

But he notices something off in the distance. A flash of fire? And that looks like it’s coming from the field behind Kieran’s place. Leon frowns, hoping everything is alright, before dashing over there.

What he comes to see, however, is Kieran peacefully sitting in the hay, and Scorbunny trying to kick a fence post with a Fire-type move. It’s clearly not working, Scorbunny doesn’t have enough experience to pull off the more advanced move they’re trying for, but Leon hunkers down to watch, anyways.

Because what he hears is beautiful. Now Leon sees why Hop was always gushing about Kieran’s singing. She has a beautiful voice, and listening to the melodies of songs Leon would never know sent a chill down his spine. There’s something ghostly ethereal about the way she’s singing, broken occasionally by a sob or two, that steals Leon’s heart. There’s so much emotion and pain in her voice, Leon’s heart breaks for her. She begins to sob more than sing, and Scorbunny comes over to her to try and comfort her. The girl wraps her arms around the bunny and falls back into the grass, crying heavily. Leon stays until she goes back inside, too worried to leave her out here on her own. But as she heads inside, Leon realizes she’s going to be fine on her own, and heads back to his own home.

Placing a hand over his heart, Leon realizes it’s still thumping loudly, even after she’s long gone.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“Wait, you’re telling me you had _no idea_ how to fight, despite all you knew from those video games? Didn’t they teach you how to battle?” The girl on the hospital bed asks, sounding exasperated.

“Yes, that is correct, I did not know how to battle _at all_. The games have you fight in a turn based system, which is not accurate to reality at all. Needless to say, I was _fucked_ ,” the boy laments with a grin, causing the girl to break into a fit of giggles.

“So Hop kicked your butt?” She asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

“I didn’t say that! Why don’t you just sit back and let me tell you how the battle _actually_ went first, yeah? _Then_ you can make fun of me for whatever the outcome is.” The man shakes his head minisculely, trying not to get exasperated with his charge already.

“Oh, oops, did I interrupt the story?” She asks, not sounding sorry at all.

The man sighs loudly. “Yes, now as I was saying…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About time I was able to get some Leon/Raihan going in the story. This was originally going to be later in, but it still fits in now and I think this is a better moment for it anyways. I may have accidentally changed the plot a bit while writing this though cuz it went in a different direction than what I had in my notes and now I really like that better.


	8. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am the Big Sick and in agony  
> Get your flu shot kids

“I’ve watched every one of Lee’s matches, I’ve read all the books he’s left at home, and I know the perfect strategy to win! Alright Wooloo, let’s do this! Hit him with tackle!” Hop calls out to Wooloo as he appears on the pitch. You’ve never seen Hop battle with another trainer so far, all you’ve seen him do is fight off wild Pokémon. This is not only the first Pokémon battle you’ll be having, it’s the first one you’ll be seeing in person. You’ve watched a bunch of Leon’s – and other strong trainers – matches on your phone or Hop’s TV, but you’ve never seen one in person.

You can only think to dodge or get out of the way of the tackle, but your thought doesn’t come quick enough for Scorbunny to react, and he’s hit with the tackle as he tries to dodge. “Hit him again!” Hop is calling, and this time you think of jumping out of the way. Scorbunny follows this and easily dodges the second tackle. Wooloo circles around to try again, and Scorbunny jumps right over him once more.

“You can’t dodge us forever! Growl at him and go for another tackle!” Hop’s shouting commands to Wooloo expertly, and you’re still trying to figure out what to do. Attacking back seems like a good decision, and you think of all the training you and Scorbunny did last night. The growl does momentarily distract Scorbunny, but he is still able to easily jump out of the way of the tackle. You think about how you want Scorbunny to attack, by kicking Wooloo – you know Scorbunny’s feet are strong – and he does exactly what you think.

The kick sends Wooloo tumbling towards Hop, “Good hit, mate! That’s not going to stop us though!” Hop and Wooloo share a look before Wooloo is once again rolling up and coming after Scorbunny. Scorbunny is quick to react, but you tell him through the bond to wait, to try to land a kick as Wooloo is coming. He follows your orders, and when you think _now!_ Scorbunny attacks, landing a perfectly timed kick to send Wooloo rolling away.

“Good counter!” Leon shouts from the sidelines with a wide grin on his face.

“Gah! Wooloo!” Hop calls as Wooloo rolls right past him. Wooloo recovers and rolls back onto the field, waiting for further instructions. “You got one more in ya bud?” Hop asks his Wooloo, and it baas back an affirmation before rolling up and coming at Scorbunny once more. This time as Scorbunny goes to hop over Wooloo, you think he could maybe land a kick on the way down, and Scorbunny attempts this, narrowly missing Wooloo as it rolls by. “Close one!” Hop shouts as Wooloo turns around.

You tell Scorbunny to charge in and kick as Wooloo goes in for another tackle. Scorbunny’s hit lands first, sending Wooloo tumbling away. “Wooloo!” Hop calls, and when Wooloo doesn’t respond, he returns Wooloo to his Pokéball. “Not bad, taking out Wooloo, but I’ve still got one more!” Hop winds up and tosses out another Pokéball, summoning Grookey to the middle of the field.

You’re beginning to feel like you may have got the hang of this when Hop commands Grookey to hit Scorbunny. Grookey isn’t as easily dodged with a nice high jump, as he’s quick on his feet and jumps as high as his opponent, and soon Grookey’s got Scorbunny chased right up into the tree. He hits the branch Scorbunny is on and Scorbunny is barely able to land on his feet, needing a moment to catch his balance. “Now! Jump down and hit him into the pond!” Hop shouts. _Oh shit move_ is the thought you send to Scorbunny as he’s barely able to hop out of the way.

“Hey! That’s cheating! You can’t knock him into the water!” You yell out to Hop, still trying to get Scorbunny away from that pond without him getting hit.

Leon laughs, before responding for Hop. “Using your environment to your advantage in a match is always allowed! You have to be aware of all your surroundings as a trainer!” Leon sounds like he’s proud of Hop for thinking of such a strategy.

Running isn’t getting you and Scorbunny anywhere – you have to fight back – but Grookey is quick and Scorbunny is already hurting from battling Wooloo. _The fire move_ you hear Scorbunny think, and if he wants to try that, this is the perfect time. As Scorbunny hops out of the way of another swing of Grookey’s stick, he tries to spit fire at the monkey, barely missing as it lands just short. This gives Grookey an opportunity to land a good hit on Scorbunny, knocking him over. _Try again you’ve got this_ you think, and Scorbunny wobbles to his feet and tries again, successfully hitting Grookey.

“A fire move? We’re in trouble Grookey, don’t let him hit you with that one again!” Hop calls out, and you’re beginning to think that maybe you and Scorbunny really could win this. One more good hit from Grookey and Scorbunny will likely be done, however, so you and Scorbunny have to hit Grookey before he can hit Scorbunny. As Grookey charges in, you instruct Scorbunny to blindly hop backwards, watching out for him to make sure he doesn’t hit anything, so that he can focus on aiming that fire attack. Grookey is doing his best to dodge, but gets hit by one before he can land another hit on Scorbunny. The hit knocks him over, but he gets back up. He looks about as close to being knocked out as Scorbunny is now, but you think you might have given Grookey a burn.

Status effects weren’t something you thought to ask about before now, so you’re not sure. You’re not even sure it would work the same as in the games. Can you and Scorbunny stall out and let the burn take care of Grookey? Would that even work? Scorbunny is trying it anyways, as he seems pretty sure he’s given Grookey a burn.

Hopping up into the tree, then back down again, Scorbunny continues to evade Grookey. As Grookey jumps down from the tree after following Scorbunny, he falls over and doesn’t get back up.

“Grookey! I’m gutted, I should have figured you’d use the type advantage, you know so much about them. That was a great battle, but I won’t lose to you again!” Hop looks disappointed in himself as he recalls Grookey to his ball, but soon a smile is on his face as he looks back at you.

That’s it, you won. You and Scorbunny did it. Scorbunny leaps into your arms while you’re stunned, knocking you both over. You laugh, and then hold him above you, “We won!” you shout.

“What a great battle! Charizard and I almost wanted to join in!” Leon congratulates, coming over to you and Hop. He offers his hand to you to help you up, and then begins digging in his pockets. “Now, I’ve got some potions, let’s get your Pokémon all healed up.” Hop lets his Pokémon back out of their balls, and Leon sprays potions on all three. Hop’s Pokémon both come to shortly after, and Hop is petting them both and thanking them for battling hard.

Leon tugs you aside while Hop is consoling his Pokémon. “Hey, I’ve got a favour to ask you.” He speaks quietly so Hop won’t overhear. “You’ve got real promise, so please, be a real rival to Hop, would you? Push him, help him reach his potential, and make the both of you stronger. After all, there’s nothing quite like the rush of beating your rival to drive you on to greater heights!” Leon can’t keep his voice quiet for long, however, Hop hasn’t seemed to notice yet.

You look over to Hop, “But… He’s my friend. I don’t want to be rivals,” you answer Leon, “I want to cheer him on and support him, not stand in his way.”

Leon looks confused for a moment. “You don’t want to continue battling with Pokémon?” He asks, and you shake your head.

“No, that’s not what I meant, I want to be a trainer too. I just want to support Hop at the same time,” you reply.

Leon nods, seeming to understand. “You can be both, you know. You can be his biggest supporter and his fiercest rival at the same time. The difference is knowing what to take on the pitch, and what to leave behind. If you want to win, if you want to do well as a trainer too, then you’ll bring everything into every match you have, regardless of the outcome. You can go back to being friends when the battle is done.”

“What if, if I beat him, he doesn’t want to be friends anymore?” You’re still watching Hop as you speak.

“Who, Hop? He’d be more disappointed in you if you held back on his account! He wouldn’t dislike you for winning. Don’t… Don’t hold back on him, alright? That’s… That’s how you lose friendships.” Leon is looking off into the distance as he talks, and there’s a weight to his words that feels like he’s speaking from experience.

You nod, understanding. “Alright. I’ll be his rival then.” Hop seems to have finished with his Pokémon, as he looks over at the two of you before coming over.

“What are you two talking about?” He asks, looking between you two suspiciously.

“Getting stronger!” Leon quickly states before you can answer. “And how, uh.” He looks at you and seems to quickly think of a topic. “You two battled! I was pointing out that Scorbunny would do even better with more direction from his trainer.” Leon winks at you before looking to Hop. You feel your cheeks heat up, in on this little secret with Leon.

“Hey, I was giving him commands,” you mumble back, and Hop seems to have bought the story.

“That training you and Scorbunny were up to last night sure paid off today, huh? Guess I still have a ways to go.” Hop looks down as he talks, but then he claps his hands to both his cheeks, a move you’ve seen both brothers do frequently. “Lee, you’ve seen me battle now, so come on! You’ve gotta let me take on the gym challenge!” He’s looking up at Leon hopefully.

Leon puts his hands on his hips as his head tilts, “You? Join the Gym Challenge? Think you’re ready for that? Not putting the cart before the Rapidash there, little brother?” Hop nods once, and Leon continues, “If that’s really what you want to do, you two have a whole lot you need to learn about Pokémon. Especially you.” He looks to you, and there’s a hard look in his eyes. “The gym challenge is not easy, the two of you will have to huff it all the way across the Galar region. If you want to be a professional Trainer, you’ll have to beat all 8 gyms and do well in the finals. You really think you’re ready for that?”

“I’m going to be the finalist that makes it into the Champion Cup, and I’m going to take you down!” Hop sounds so sure of himself, you’re a little intimidated. Leon’s implying you’ll both do the gym challenge together, and that makes sense if you’re going to be rivals, but are you really ready for it?

“Won’t it be dangerous?” You ask. You’re not really sure what the whole gym challenge entails, other than beating the gyms.

“It can be, if you’re unprepared,” Leon answers. “You’ll be walking on foot from town to town, camping out in the wilderness a lot. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could get hurt.” Ah, so it is like the games. “A Pokédex will help, they contain all known information about every species of Pokémon in Galar. You two should make that your goal first.”

“Where would we get one?” You ask. Pokédexes are real too? Leon makes it sound like they already have all the information in them, rather than tasking you to fill them out on your own. It sounds incredibly useful for such a journey, and you really want one now.

Hop turns to you and grins, “In Wedgehurst, you know that big purple building? That’s the Pokémon research lab. Professor Magnolia will give them to us. She, uh, had a big hand in making it, I think?” Hop looks at Leon for clarification, and Leon nods.

“That’s right, she’s the primary author of most of the information included in them. You two go get Pokédexes, and then we’ll talk more about the gym challenge, alright?” Leon crosses his arms, and you can tell he’s not going to move further on this – not that you can blame him. You don’t want to go running out there unprepared either.

Hop rolls his eyes but agrees. “Opening ceremonies are in a fortnight, you better not be planning to delay us past then,” Hop grumbles. So soon? A fortnight is two weeks, right? Can you even get prepared properly in time? “Come on, then, let’s head over to Wedgehurst, shall we?” Hop looks to you with a grin.

“Only if you don’t run ahead like always,” You reply.

Hop is bolting off anyways, “Ha! You have a Pokémon to defend yourself with now, mate! I can run ahead all I want!” Hop shouts as he’s running off, both his Pokémon following behind him. He stops just outside the gate though, and allows Grookey to climb up onto his shoulder.

“That’s the spirit! I’ll let the professor know to expect you both.” Leon has a bright smile on his face once more.

“At least let me grab my bag first, I left it at home!” You walk up to Hop, who also grins, and agrees to accompany you on your trip home.

“I’m still totally going to beat you to Wedgehurst once you’ve got your bag.” He jabs his elbow into your side lightly as you two walk back to your cottage.

You swat at him back playfully, hitting his shoulder. “Not everything is a competition, you know.”

“But it can be!” Hop grins and you can’t help the smile that comes to your face. His energy and positivity are contagious, and you’re beginning to look forward to your journey with him. It can’t be so bad if you do it together, right?

As you near your cottage, you both hear loud banging coming from the direction of the thick forest you woke up in. “What’s that?” You turn to Hop to ask, but he shrugs.

“Beats me, let’s check it out though,” Hop jogs ahead a bit, and you follow slower. You’ve still got a walk to Wedgehurst to go through; you don’t know your limits in this body and are still a bit scared of chancing it.

A loud crash then echoes out, and Hop calls out from father ahead. “A Wooloo! No, you can’t go in there, it’s dangerous!” You speed up to a jog and make it over the hill just in time to see a Wooloo rolling into the forest.

Hop is standing by the remains of the gate, knocked apart on the ground. As you run up to him, panting heavily already, Hop fills you in on what you had already assumed. “The forest is off-limits, it’s dangerous; you’ve seen it. I remember the Professor’s granddaughter went in once, and she came back in a real state too. And that was nothing compared to the earful she got from the Professor afterward!”

You glance back at the forest once more, no longer able to see the Wooloo. “I didn’t see any Wooloo in there, so I’m guessing they aren’t meant for that forest. What do we do?” You look back at Hop as you ask. Should the two of you go get Leon?

“We’ve got to go save it, don’t you think?” Hop responds, “I don’t think there’s time to run back and get help.” Hop’s right, even if you run, it’s going to take at least 20 minutes to run to Hop’s place and back to get Leon. “Even if we’re not supposed to… This is the kind of scene where you simply have to do what’s needed! Hope you’re ready for anything, cuz we’re going in!”

Hop turns to face the forest, but doesn’t run ahead this time. He begins walking, and you follow behind. Scorbunny seems concerned about this, as do Hop’s Pokémon, so you pick him up and carry him.

The forest is just as dense as you remember it. Hop takes a deep breath before pushing branches out of the way of the path and heading in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I worked on most of this after getting the flu, I really hope it's coherent. It reads coherently to me but I'm like dying so I'm not the best judge of this.  
> But I did it I did the battle scene hallelujah, now we can get on to more exciting things. I didn't follow my notes as closely as I would have liked but I blame that on being sick and listening to Hop's battle music on repeat while writing.  
> Thank you again so much for all the comments and kudos and bookmarks I did not expect this to be as liked as it is and it makes me so happy. It really drives me to keep going, knowing others are interested. It's not like I work much, I have the time to devote to this project. I'm going to do my best to see it through to the end now, because even I want to know how it's going to end now. I have a general idea of where I want it to go, but stories sometimes take on a life of their own and I'm really bad at following my own notes when I start writing.


	9. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two in a row?  
> Two in a row.

You and Hop make your way through the thick, foggy forest. You stay close behind Hop; you don’t want to get separated here. Hop’s recalled his Pokémon, not wanting them to get separated from him in the forest, though you’re still hugging Scorbunny tightly to your chest. Even though there’s a trail, it’s not well used and there’s a lot of branches and roots in your path. You both trip and stumble into each other often.

There are some wild Pokémon here, but between Scorbunny, Wooloo, and Grookey, they don’t give you much trouble. Hop occasionally calls out for the missing Wooloo, though it doesn’t seem to help.

“This place is eerie, let’s quickly find that Wooloo and get out of here, before any strong Pokémon find us,” Hop states, turning his head to look at you as he does, partly to check to make sure you’re still behind him.

“There are strong Pokémon here?” You ask, and find yourself clutching Hop’s jacket with one hand.

“Yeah, and they’re dangerous. There’s a reason this place is off-limits, you know. People get hurt here.” Hop continues forward as he talks, carefully pushing low hanging branches aside for both of you.

“You said as much earlier…” You trail off, remembering him mentioning someone who came in and got hurt.

“The fog is getting thicker, if we don’t find that Wooloo soon, we could be in trouble.” Hop stops and looks around. You only avoid bumping into him because you’re still clutching his jacket. He cups both his hands around his mouth and shouts once more for the Wooloo, but instead of hearing the Wooloo cry, you hear something that sounds far more dangerous roar back. “Oh man, that Wooloo could be in real trouble!” Hop looks worried.

“We have to help it,” You remind him.

Hop nods, and brushes your hand from his jacket, only to take it in his own a moment later. “Come on, we’ve gotta stay close together,” Hop speaks quietly as he tugs you forward by the hand. You feel a blush rising on your cheeks, and have to remind yourself now is not the time for such things. This is only so the two of you aren’t separated.

Walking into thicker and thicker fog, you can barely make out Hop in front of you now. You’re glad the two of you are holding hands, it’d be too easy to get separated at this point.

“We haven’t seen any Pokémon for a while, have we?” Hop pipes up suddenly, and you’re now very aware of the fact that things are eerily quiet around you, no sounds of scurrying Pokémon in the undergrowth around you or in the trees above you.

“That’s a bad sign, right? That means we’re in the territory of something strong, doesn’t it?” You ask with a tremor to your voice.

Hop doesn’t reply, and you think that’s almost worse, because now you can only imagine what the two of you have gotten yourself into. The fog only gets thicker as you go, and you can’t see Hop in front of you at all anymore. You only know you’re following him still by the tug on your hand, which you also cannot see. Scorbunny shifts nervously in your free arm, clinging to your shoulder as he has a bad feeling about things.

“This is mad, I can’t even see my own hand in front of my face!” Hop shouts suddenly, coming to a stop. You step next to him, close enough that you can barely make each other out now, and Hop turns to face you. He looks frightened, and you’re sure you do too.

“We’re in over our heads, aren’t we?” You ask, and Hop looks around before nodding slowly.

“I don’t see that Wooloo anywhere, and now we’re completely lost!” Hop squeezes your hand in his, and you can feel the tremor in his hand as he does. He’s just as scared as you are, but he’s trying not to show it.

You hear the sound of something approaching before you see it, and you gesture with your head to avoid making any noise. Hop gets the idea and looks in that direction, huddling ever so slightly closer to you.

You see a beast similar to the one who guided you out of the forest originally approach you. This one looks different, it appears red instead of blue, though looks just as scarred as the one who helped you. This doesn’t feel like this one is here to help, so you’re on guard in case it tries to attack you.

“What in the-” Hop doesn’t finish his sentence, cutting himself off as he jumps, startled by the sudden appearance of this massive beast. It roars loudly, and Scorbunny hops from your arms, ready to fight. Hop reaches for a Pokéball and throws out Wooloo to aid you.

Scorbunny tries to hit it with his fire move, and Wooloo rolls in for a tackle, but both moves seem to have no effect. The mysterious beast’s gaze is fixed on you and Hop, but it makes no move to attack back. You cling to Hop’s arm regardless, terrified of what might happen to you.

“Wha-?! The moves had no effect on it?!” Hop clings back, and it’s beginning to sink in to you both that you could get seriously hurt from this.

“Try again!” You call out, refusing to give up just yet. The fog rolls in deeper as the beast howls, and you lose sight of Scorbunny. You can still _feel_ him though, so you know where he is and you know he’s ok as he tries to go in for a kick, but it still has no effect.

“Wooloo! Shit, I can’t see him!” Hop’s lost sight of his partner too. To hear Hop curse, which you haven’t yet, must mean things are bad. “Where are you buddy?!” Hop shouts, and Wooloo baas from further into the fog, though it’s hard to hear.

“Call him back, it’s too dangerous! We need to get out of here!” You cry out as you shake Hop roughly. You’re carefully keeping track of where Scorbunny is in the fog through your bond, and he’s ready to make a run for it when you are.

The beast has other ideas, however, and you hear one more roar before-

Well, you can’t really remember what happens next. You’re suddenly on the ground and someone is shaking you awake while calling your name. It takes you a moment to focus, but you recognize Leon’s face after a moment. Hop is groaning and struggling to sit up, and you see Scorbunny still collapsed a few feet away.

“Lee? How did you manage to find us out here? You’re pants with directions. You always get lost.” Hop’s voice sounds rough, but he looks unharmed. You feel unharmed as well, but you examine yourself anyways after you get to your feet.

Leon sighs, and he walks over to pick up Scorbunny, giving him a potion before handing him back to you. He’s coming to as well, and you cuddle him close, thankful for him trying his best. Leon has a hard look on his face as he looks you both over. “Oh, that’s real nice to hear from the little brother who had me worried sick!” He sounds mad, not that you can blame him.

“I’d been waiting ages for you two in Wedgehurst, and you never showed! Of course I came looking for the both of you!” Leon continues, hands on his hips as he glares at you both.

“Wait, the Wooloo! We came out here trying to rescue a Wooloo!” Hop begins looking around like it’ll magically appear.

Leon sighs, gesturing behind him. Further away is Charizard, with the missing Wooloo. “The little chap’s just fine. Though all of you had fainted by the time I found you here. You know this place is out of bounds, Hop… There are dangerous Pokémon here. You both could have gotten seriously injured! You’re lucky you’ve only got a few scratches.” Leon tilts his head down for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing. “But it took courage to come in here all the same, and I can understand why you did it. Next time, come get help, or at least tell someone where you ran off to! I spent all day searching for you two!” Leon’s wearing a small smile now, clearly relieved you’re both alright.

“Wait, all day? What time is it?” You ask, in this dark and foggy forest it’s nearly impossible to tell the time of day. Leon indicates it’s evening now, and Hop’s stomach lets out a growl as if in affirmation.

“Come on, let’s get back and eat,” Leon sounds tired, and he probably is after running around looking for you both all day. You all follow Charizard out of the forest, because Hop doesn’t trust Leon to lead. “Hey, Charizard has a great sense of direction, even if I don’t!” Leon had argued.

As you walk, Hop pipes up beside you, “At least the Wooloo is ok, but man, I thought we’d had it when that weird fog started rolling in and that mad Pokémon attacked.” You agree with him, you’d thought you were done for too.

“I don’t even remember what happened after that, where did that strange beast go?” You reply, tilting your head to the side.

Hop shrugs. “Dunno mate, I don’t remember anything past that either.”

“Mad Pokémon? What kind of Pokémon attacked you?” Leon asks, turning his head back to look at you both as he continues walking.

“I’m not sure, it’s not one I’ve ever seen before.” Hop launches into a vague description of the beast that you find you can’t really add to. “And it seemed a lot stronger than any Pokémon I’ve ever seen. And it just had this sort of intense presence…” Hop finishes up his description by trailing off.

“That doesn’t sound familiar to me, either.” Leon speaks after a moment of silence.

“It looked like the beast that led me out of the forest when I first showed up here, but slightly different,” You chime in.

“You’ve encountered something like this before?” Leon asks, “What happened?”

“It led me out of the forest, that’s all. It didn’t attack me or anything. Actually, the one Hop and I saw didn’t attack us either. And our Pokémon couldn’t seem to hurt it, too.” You reply, thinking back on the day you arrived for any other similarities.

“It was like our moves passed right through it!” Hop agreed, shaking his head.

“Your moves passed right through it? Hmm… So, the fearsome Pokémon they say live in the Slumbering Weald…” Leon seems to be more talking to himself than to the two of you. “Are they actually illusions or something? How strange, maybe the two of you will figure it out one day!” Leon shoots a grin back at the two of you before turning forward again.

Hop is grinning too, and he looks over to you, “Even if we did get an earful from Lee, what an experience! This’ll make a pretty fine first page in the tale of my legend!” You can’t help but laugh at Hop’s antics, glad he’s able to find the positives from this.

You all successfully make it out of the forest not long after that, heading back to Hop’s place for supper. You and Scorbunny are invited to stay too, after you and Hop get another earful from his mother.

After supper ends, it’s just you, Leon, and Hop who are left sitting around the kitchen table. You and Hop have agreed to go get your Pokédexes tomorrow, as it’s too late to go tonight.

“Well, I guess now is as good a time as any, I gotta get some information from you to fill out your ID.” Leon looks at you, pulling out a notebook and pen to write things down.

“What do you need to know?” You ask, and Leon hands you the notebook. It’s got a few basic questions down, such as your full name and birth date, and you begin filling them out. The birth date stumps you though, as they use a different calendar here. After getting a rough idea of what year you’d be born here and writing that down, you hand the notebook back to Leon.

“Wait, you’re how old?” Leon asks, looking at your answers. “You barely look 18, how can you be that old?”

“She said the same thing to me and Mum,” Hop teases, and you fight the urge to roll your eyes.

“I look different here, but I promise I really am that old!” You argue, frowning.

“That’d make you older than me! No one’s going to believe that, looking at you. I’m just going to mark you down as 18, that’s at least believable.” Leon decides, scribbling out your answer and changing it. Try as you might to fight it, Leon has no intention of changing it, either.

You suppose this isn’t the end of the world, it’s not terrible to be 18 again, and Leon’s right, you don’t look older than he does. “Hmm, I was going to mark down that you were from Sinnoh, but after hearing your accent, I think Unova would be more believable.” Leon continues, writing down something else.

You hadn’t thought about your accent, but everyone here that you’d met so far all had, in the terms of where you’re from, British accents. You suppose your western accent would stand out as from somewhere else. Did that mean people in Unova had the same accent as you?

You ask Leon as much, “Do people in Unova have the same accent as I do?”

“Well, not exactly, but it’s close enough that most people aren’t going to know the difference. If anyone does, you can just tell them you’re from some rural town with a different accent or something.” Leon explains.

You figure now is as good a time as any to ask a question that’s been nagging you for the last two weeks, since you’re on the topic anyways. “No one’s explained this to me, but I was told not to tell people where I’m actually from. Why can’t I?”

Leon freezes at this, and a strange look crosses his face before he recovers. “Uh, well, who would believe you, right?” He doesn’t sound convincing at all, and you have the feeling this isn’t the actual reason.

“You did. And Hop did.” You want answers, why are they hiding you? But Leon laughs it off and changes the topic, and you realize you’re not going to get your answer tonight.

After gathering all the information he needs to fill out your ID, Leon has you stand against a bare part of the wall and he takes a photo of you on his phone, for what you’re assuming is the ID, but this is starting to feel rather casual for an ID card. Shouldn’t this be done in some sort of government center?

You don’t press about it though, perhaps things are done differently here, and Leon is the Champion. He may have powers you don’t know about, as you really don’t know much about how this world works, or even what kind of government they have. When he’s done, Leon leaves to go make some calls, and it’s just you and Hop left at the table.

The two of you watch your Pokémon play together and chat for a bit. Your dodged conversation with Leon is still weighing on you, however, and it’s hard for you to pay full attention to the conversation. Hop just thinks you’re tired, and sends you home to get some rest.

As you and Scorbunny walk down the path lit only by the moon and the stars, fear and dread begin to set in you, and you can’t stop thinking about how little you know about what’s going on. Scorbunny can tell you’re dealing with things he doesn’t understand, but he’s trying his best to comfort you regardless.

You pet him, thanking him for staying by your side. “What do I even do, bud?” You muse out loud. _Be the best!_ Comes an answer from Scorbunny, though that had been a rhetorical question, you suppose he wouldn’t understand that.

A small smile graces your face at his answer. Be the best, huh? If this is the hand you’re dealt, might as well play the game, right? You can’t help but feel like you’re in over your head, and that there’s too much you don’t know still. You hope playing along is the right choice, as you don’t see other options.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sick literally what else am I gonna do but sit here and write?  
> But honestly at this point I should stop and get some sleep it's like 2 in the morning here.  
> I wish I could sleep hahaha  
> I hope this chapter is more coherent than I am


	10. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was almost three in a row  
> Almost

The next morning, you meet Hop at his place to head to Wedgehurst together. Hop walks with you for a bit, before getting too impatient with your speed and rushing off ahead. That leaves you and Scorbunny alone, and you get some training in before you hit Wedgehurst.

When you reach Wedgehurst, you see Charizard out in the plaza by himself. There’s a small crowd admiring him from a distance, but he mostly seems to be doing his own thing. You greet Charizard and he lets you pet him, and you’re able to connect with him. You wonder if that means Leon is nearby. _He’s likely lost, he was heading for the research lab_ is what Charizard tells you. You thank him and start heading off in that direction yourself.

Reaching the research lab, you nearly bump into Leon as it seems he’s finally found his way here as well. “Well hey, glad to see you made it here!” Leon greets you.

You laugh, “Shouldn’t I be the one saying that? Charizard was sure you were lost,” You tease him, and Leon looks momentarily surprised before he begins laughing.

“I suppose so! I’m hopeless with directions. Charizard is obviously quite fond of you if he keeps telling you things like that!” As if Leon saying his name is what summons him, you hear Charizard’s stomping footsteps come up behind you. “Ah, there he is! Charizard is my saving grace, he keeps me from getting lost all the time.”

_Well someone has to take care of him_ you hear Charizard through your connection, and you can’t help but laugh at that. “Can’t say I can relate, I have a rather impressive sense of direction myself,” You declared rather proudly. It was one of the few talents you had, you think it’s fair to boast a little bit.

“Guess I know who to call for help then!” Leon grins at you widely, before turning to the door. “Now, let’s head in, shall we?” He holds open the door for you like a right proper gentleman.

You walk inside and are greeted with walls covered in bookshelves crammed full with books, as well as plants growing from all over the place. There’s various research equipment that you can’t really identify as well, and while it isn’t exactly what you are expecting, it certainly feels like a Pokémon research lab.

Leon leads you further in, “I love coming here, it always looks so fascinating,” He gushes as he looks around and takes everything in. A barking sound startles you, and you both turn to see a dog shaped Pokémon that you don’t recognize run up to greet you. Leon crouches down, petting him, “Yamper! Good to see you!”

“What are you here for today? Looking for more info on another never-before-seen, super-strong Pokémon? I wish you’d stop with these outlandish requests.” A female voice calls from somewhere above you, and you look up to see a young woman with curly orange hair standing on the walkway above you. She comes down the stairs, and you’re momentarily stunned by how graceful she walks.

“Good to see you too, Sonia!” Leon greets the woman as she comes to stand near the two of you. Leon introduces you to her, and she shakes your hand with a smile. “Sonia’s Yamper here came to my rescue plenty of times back in the day, when I got lost on the road.” Leon launches into a story that probably seems related to the introductions to Leon, but to you, you’re just confused.

“Tsk, what kind of introduction is that? Did you even mention we used to be rivals during our gym challenge?” Sonia chastises Leon while shaking her head. “It wasn’t just Yamper coming to your rescue, I had to come find you plenty of times too.”

“You two did your gym challenge together?” You ask, looking between the two.

“Yep! It’s nice to meet you, I’m the professor’s assistant.” Sonia smiles kindly, and you wonder what kind of trainer she must be if she was once Leon’s rival.

“This is the girl I was telling you about yesterday. She’s just starting her journey as a Pokémon trainer. Set her on the right path, and take care of her, would you?” Leon asks Sonia with a rather serious look on his face.

“Of course. Come on, I’ll get you set up with a Pokédex.” Sonia gestures for you to follow her, and Leon turns around and seems to be leaving. Sonia sighs when he’s gone, and shakes her head. “What does he think I am? He’s always got his head in the clouds. It’s no wonder he gets lost all the time.”

You laugh nervously, as you feel bad for burdening her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be a bother.”

“Oh no, you’re not, I’m just venting about Leon. He does this a lot, comes in here, makes some demand, and then leaves without even staying for tea. Honestly, you’d think he’d have the time to come sit and chat for a bit with an old friend, especially when he’s on a break.” She sighs, and you’re relieved it’s not you she’s frustrated about.

Sonia is rooting through a desk drawer, looking for something. “You have a Rotom phone, correct?” You nod to her question, as she straightens up, holding something in her hand. “Great, that makes this easier. Hand it here for a moment.”

You dig into your bag and pull out your phone, handing it over. She pops open a slot on the side, and puts the small card she was holding in her hand inside your phone. “Do you know a lot about Pokémon?” She asks as she taps away at your phone.

“Uh, kind of? I’m not sure what of it is true or not,” you answer honestly.

“Well in that case, this will really come in handy. I’m adding a Pokédex to your Rotom phone, so when you need to look things up, it’s all readily accessible for you.” She seems to finish, as she removes the card she put in. “Here, let me show you how it works.” She opens the new Pokédex app she added, and points the phone at Scorbunny. It takes a second, but then it registers which Pokémon it’s looking at, and the screen fills with information about Scorbunny.

“Cool! This will be really handy! Thank you!” You take the phone back and tuck it in your pocket.

“Just so you know, that Pokédex is a gift from my Gran. She’s the one you should be thanking for it.” Sonia twirls a strand of her hair around her finger. “She’s not here today though, you’ll have to come by another time if you’d like to thank her. She dedicated years of her life gathering all that information, you know!”

“I’ll be sure to thank her sometime for it then.” You thank Sonia for her time once more before she sees you off. Once outside the lab, you’re not sure what to do now. You aren’t sure where Hop or Leon have run off to, and checking your phone reveals no new text messages from Hop either. Perhaps you and Scorbunny could train more, or maybe you could play around with your new Pokédex.

You muse about what to do as you head further into town. Before you can land on a plan, you run into Hop. “Hey, finished getting your Pokédex too?” He asks as he runs over.

“Yep! What’s the plan now?” You ask him with a smile on your face.

“Now we have to convince Leon to sponsor us for the Gym Challenge! I’m thinking we head over to the Professor’s house and get her help in convincing Leon.” Hop has a glint in his eyes that you recognize from battling with him. He’s got his mind set on this, so you agree to his plan.

Hop informs you she lives out by the lake north of town, and that it’s quite the walk. “Lots more wild Pokémon out there, so we might want to grab some potions and stop by the Center before we go.”

“Center?” You ask, this isn’t a term you’ve heard before. Could that mean Pokémon Center?

“Oh, I suppose you’ve never been to one yet. They treat injured Pokémon and people, and can make sure your Pokémon are in the best condition to battle. Best of all, they’re free! They’re really handy for a trainer, there’s one in every major town.” Hop explains, and you’re somehow not surprised your guess was right. It’s like a hospital and Pokémon Center in one, you assume.

Hop leads you over to a large, red roofed building. Inside, he shows you how it works, setting his Pokéballs on a tray on the counter and handing the tray to a nurse. Scorbunny hops up onto the counter himself, and a nurse there looks him over and heals him. It hardly takes long at all, and you’re pleasantly shocked at how quick the whole thing goes. You’re used to ridiculously long hospital wait times where you’re from, the ability to come in and just get seen immediately boggles your mind a bit.

You share as much with Hop while you wait, and he can barely seem to imagine what that would be like. Your Pokémon are soon returned to you, and Hop leads you over to a side counter in the Center. “Here’s where you can buy potions, and other such healing items,” He buys several potions, doling out half of them to you. You thank him as you both pack them in your bags, and then the two of you set out to the Professor’s.

As the two of you set out along a winding dirt path, Hop begins digging in his bag. “Alright mate, it’s about time we start filling up our team with more Pokémon, don’t you think?”

“Like… Catching wild Pokémon?” You ask. This wasn’t something you’d thought about before, how people actually get Pokémon to join their team. It couldn’t be as simple as just throwing a ball at a Pokémon and then it magically listens to you and likes you, right?

“Exactly! And I-” Hop’s voice is cut off by a louder, deeper voice.

“And I’m here to teach you how!” Leon shouts as he runs to catch up with the two of you. You and Hop both startle, neither of you had seen him coming. “You’ll need to catch Pokémon to build up your teams, and it’s not as easy as it looks. The Pokémon has to want to join you, you have to convince it to be a part of your team.”

“How do you do that?” You question while Hop is still recovering, and Leon cracks a wide grin.

“Watch,” Leon quietly states, tossing out a Pokéball to reveal Sobble. Him and Sobble head into the tall grass around you, and Leon gestures for the two of you to follow him.

Hop rolls his eyes. “Show off, I coulda taught you, too,” he grumbles quietly as he turns to follow Leon. You snicker as you follow as well.

Leon comes across a Wooloo, and he has Sobble challenge it. “Now, some Pokémon are going to be more likely to join you than others. A lot of Pokémon really do want to find a trainer, but not all of them do, so you have to find one that’s willing to challenge you and stick around. Your goal is to try to convince the Pokémon that you want to be partners. Pokémon who aren’t interested in staying with you will likely flee when they realize they’re overmatched, but Pokémon who are interested will keep trying to fight until they collapse. Uh, try not to actually let them collapse if you can, that makes it a bit harder.”

The Wooloo and Sobble are still scrapping it out, Leon has been making gestures to Sobble for some basic instructions while he talks. It seems he’s using this to train Sobble at the same time. The Wooloo is looking weak though, as it’s teetering on its feet as it moves. “Alright, seems this Wooloo wants to stick around, so now’s when you try to catch it!” Leon pulls an empty Pokéball out of his pocket, and tosses it at the Wooloo. It connects, and the Wooloo disappears inside the ball. The light on the outside of the ball glows yellow while the ball shakes.

“Now you wait, if the Pokémon wants to stay with you, it’ll stay in the ball. If it doesn’t, it’ll break free. You leave it alone if it breaks free, don’t go antagonizing a Pokémon who doesn’t want to join you.” While Leon continues his lecture, the light on the ball glows green and you hear a click. “And that’s it! I’ve now got a Wooloo. Then you have to train it, of course!” Leon walks over and picks up the Pokéball. He lets the Wooloo out, petting it and giving it a potion.

“I don’t plan on keeping this Wooloo, though, I just wanted to demonstrate.” Leon turns to look at you and Hop, then opens the Pokéball the Wooloo was caught in and cracks it in half right along the hinge. “There you go bud, you’re free to go. Thank you for your help!” Leon pats the Wooloo once more, and it runs off.

You lap up Leon’s lecture, fascinated to learn how taming Pokémon works in reality. “That is so cool,” you quietly sigh as Leon comes back over to you and Hop.

Leon laughs, “I’m glad you thought so! Here.” He pulls out 5 more empty Pokéballs. “Should do you for a bit.” He hands them to you. “You still have some, Hop?”

“Yep, I still have the ones you gave me this morning, I haven’t had a chance to catch anything yet.” Hop shakes an empty Pokéball he’s holding in his hand.

“Good! If you have bad aim and lose them all and need more, let me know!” Leon grins at him, and Hop groans at the teasing.

“What if I lose them? I actually do have really bad aim.” You run a hand through your hair, a little embarrassed to have to admit that.

Leon just laughs lightly though. “I’ll give you more too then,” he says kindly.

“Yeah, but how do I tell you I’ve run out?” You don’t currently have a way to contact Leon, other than through Hop.

“Oh! Of course, here, hand me your Rotom phone. I’ll add my contact information to it so you can get a hold of me if you need to.” Leon holds out his hand and you pass him your phone. He pulls out his, and taps away at both of them, before handing yours back. “So where are the two of you off to now, anyways?”

“We’re heading to the Professor’s house!” Hop explains.

“Ah, I suppose I will see you there, then!” Leon grins.

“Why don’t you come with us?” You offer to Leon. It’d be nice to get to chat with him more, he knows so much about Pokémon and battling.

“I would if I had the time, but there’s something I have to discuss with the Professor before the two of you get there.” Leon responds, putting Sobble back in his Pokéball.

“Oh yeah, and you think you’re going to beat us there with your terrible sense of direction?” Hop chimes in, crossing his arms.

Leon only laughs, and calls out for Charizard. “Oh, I’m not walking, but have fun you two!” Moments later, Charizard flies in from somewhere above, you didn’t catch which direction he came from. He lands, and Leon climbs onto his back. Charizard takes off, towards the Professor’s house you assume, and they make quite the majestic pair with Leon’s cape billowing out in the wind behind him, on the back of such a large Pokémon. You watch them fly off until you can’t see them past the trees any longer, because that looks so cool and you absolutely want to fly on the back of a Pokémon like that someday.

“Cheater,” Hop grunts, shaking his head.

“But that looks so cool!” You gush, and Hop’s eyes light up.

“I know, doesn’t it? I want to be able to do that! It’d make getting to Wedgehurst so much quicker. Which is why I plan to catch a Flying-type!” Hop exclaims, and you’re both grinning ear to ear at the idea.

“I guess I’ll have to catch one too! What kinds of cool Flying-type Pokémon exist here, anyways?” You’re pulling up the Pokédex on your phone and searching by Flying-types as you ask, and you and Hop talk about which Pokémon would be coolest to fly on while you walk to the Professor’s.

It’s a long walk, about 3 hours Hop informs you – he’s walked it before – and he splits off from you eventually to go do some training with Grookey and Wooloo. He also hopes to catch a Pokémon on the way – he seems to have one in mind – but he tells you it’s a surprise and that you’ll have to wait until you reach the Professor’s place to find out.

Scorbunny hops along beside you as the two of you make your way there, occasionally fighting wild Pokémon. You’re trying to catch a second partner too, as you don’t want to fall behind Hop, but none of the Pokémon you fight seem to want to stick around. Scorbunny’s overwhelming desire to be the best scares them off, a reason you learn when you manage to connect with a few of the wild Pokémon you fight. Scorbunny only wants teammates who also want to become the very best, and since he’s your partner, you feel obliged to find him teammates that he will get along with.

You don’t let it get you down; you don’t have to build the perfect team today. You’ll find the perfect Pokémon for your team over time, there’s no need to rush it. Besides, training one Pokémon already is quite a bit harder than you thought it would be, even if you can communicate so easily with Scorbunny. You don’t want to overwhelm yourself with so many Pokémon that you have difficulty controlling them all.

These trails are gorgeously scenic, so you’re not surprised when you come across another trainer as you go. She seems a bit younger than Hop, but mentions Hop beat her already earlier. She’s eager to get a victory after her loss, and challenges you to a battle. You and Scorbunny are happy to have the chance to practice more together, and you accept. Having a battle out here on a trail is much different than battling on the open pitch of Hop’s back yard, but you still win easily enough.

You both heal up your Pokémon after the battle, and she congratulates you on your victory. She doesn’t offer you money or anything, so you figure that whole getting reward money for battles thing isn’t actually something that happens. So, how exactly do you get money then? You suppose you’ll have to ask Hop and his family about that later.

You run into two more trainers on your way, and win each battle rather easily. You and Scorbunny are getting better at this now; he’s picking up on your strategies and tactics, and you’re picking up on his natural abilities and how you can make use of them. Instructing him through the bond you share certainly helps, as there’s next to no delay between when you think of what to do next, and him acting out on it.

It begins to sink in that this might not be normal when one of the trainers you win against mentions how good Scorbunny is without instructions. Leon had mentioned something similar after you fought Hop, so when you mention to this trainer that you were giving him commands, and he presses for how, you’re not sure how to explain it. “He just kinda feels what I want him to do, I guess?”

The trainer seems to think this comes from the two of you spending years together, and you know Hop and Wooloo fight like that sometimes. You’ve seen him use Wooloo against wild Pokémon and not once give Wooloo a command, but that’s because of years of practicing together and Wooloo just knowing Hop’s strategies and what to do in an easy battle. You don’t have those years of practice, but you don’t mention that to the trainer, letting him believe what’s more convenient. You wouldn’t be able to explain it anyways.

Eventually, you see the house with the purple roof that Hop told you to look out for. You can see him leaning against the fence around the property, while Wooloo and Grookey roll around together in front of him. Hop’s watching the two of them play, but as you crest the hill, Hop looks up and catches sight of you. He waves over-exaggeratedly at you, as he tends to do every time he catches you at a distance, so you wave back.

Then he’s holding up a Pokéball, grinning madly, and you can’t help the smile that splits your face too. He did it, he caught a third Pokémon. You couldn’t wait to see what he got; he was going to be a right menace to beat now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise the real reason I wanted to write all this was so I can explore how Pokémon mechanics could work if Pokémon were real because that has always fascinated me. I would absolutely love to talk how mechanics would work if real with anyone else who also cares about this.  
> I'm still so sick this is truly the worst. I'm sorry for all the mistakes I missed and stuff I'm so very tired but I cannot sleep. This entire thing was written sleep deprived so you know it's going to be great.


	11. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long.  
> I've been so very tired.  
> I've had no energy to write.  
> I'm going to try to do better about that.

Hop greets you as you and Scorbunny lightly jog down the hill to meet him. “I got one, mate!” Hop pulls you into a hug in his excitement, and you return it, sharing in his happiness.

“Congrats! Who is it? Are you going to show me?” You ask when Hop releases you.

Hop only grins cheekily, “You ready to see my new partner?” He holds the Pokéball containing it up and you nod. Tossing it, out pops a bird Pokémon, you’ve seen them flying around but don’t recall their name, but Hop fixes this when he announces “This is my new Rookidee!”

The blue and black bird hops around on the ground, and you bend down to get a better look at her. She lets you pet her, and you’re unsurprised when you can connect with her as easily as you can with Hop’s other Pokémon. She seems excited to be with Hop now, and you’re happy for the two of them. Scorbunny wants to meet the new friend too, and soon all four Pokémon are playing around you and Hop’s feet.

The two of you let them while Hop tells you all about how he caught his new partner. You’re sure he’s exaggerating the tale, but it only makes you smile and laugh more. He’s a very good story teller, after all. You’ve both forgotten why you originally came here, when the door to the house behind you opens. Leon and an old woman, who you’re assuming is the professor, walk out.

“Ah, and here they are,” the woman states to Leon, and it seems like they were talking about the two of you. She walks up to the gate and opens it for you, ushering you, Hop, and your Pokémon inside. “Welcome to my home, it’s lovely to see you again, Hop. And you must be Kieran, I’ve been hearing much about you these past two weeks. My name is Magnolia. Please, come inside, I’ll put on some tea.”

She leads the group of you into her home, Hop recalling all his Pokémon before entering as they’re beginning to get rambunctious. You pick Scorbunny up and he settles down in your arms. Her house is beautiful, and upon entering you can see there’s just as many, if not more, plants here as there are in the research lab. You see the house connects with the greenhouse you saw from outside as you’re lead to the kitchen.

Leon is the one who actually begins making the tea, as the professor has a seat at the table and gestures you and Hop to do the same. Magnolia catches up with Hop, congratulating him on his two new Pokémon, before turning to you. “So, I hear you’re from a place that doesn’t have Pokémon. Must have been quite the shock to meet them.”

“It was, mostly because I knew what they were, I just never would have believed they were real!” Magnolia asks you more questions about where you’re from, and how you’re doing here, before Leon is putting a tray with the tea down in the middle of the table.

You’re enjoying your tea, though Magnolia chastises Leon for using too hot of water and burning the tea leaves. “Now then, I’m sure you two came all the way out here for a reason, and I doubt it was just to thank me for those new Pokédexes of yours.” Magnolia looks between you and Hop, waiting for one of you to answer.

“That’s right, though thank you again for the Pokédexes! But we came out here to ask for your help.” Hop is the one who explains. “Help me convince Leon he should endorse us for the gym challenge!”

“Oh, Leon, why wouldn’t you?” Magnolia turns on Leon, and he sheepishly scratches the back of his head.

“Uh, well, they’ve both only just started out as Pokémon trainers, they still have a long ways to go. There’s loads they don’t know yet, especially you,” Leon turns his gaze to look at you.

“Dearie, I thought your dream was to have everyone in the Galar region become strong trainers. Isn’t that right?” Magnolia twirls the chain of her glasses around her finger as she gives Leon a stern look.

“Well, yeah…you’re not wrong,” Leon crosses his arms and tilts his head to the side. “That goal’s precisely the reason I gave them both Pokémon, in fact.” Leon closes his eyes and seems to be thinking about something.

“If you gave us Pokémon so we could become stronger trainers, and the gym challenge is coming up, which is the test of your skills as a trainer, wouldn’t endorsing us for it help us become stronger? And help us learn all that stuff we don’t know yet?” You chime in. You know how much this means to Hop, and you do want to try it too, even if you don’t get far. You’re not sure how else to get an endorsement, so getting one from Leon is important. You don’t think Hop would want to get an endorsement from someone else, anyway.

Leon opens his eyes and looks at you for a moment, and seems to be contemplating your words. “Right, then,” he says after a moment. “In that case…how about this? Let’s see if the two of you can show me such a brilliant battle that I’m left with no choice but to endorse you. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure both your teams are in good shape before the battle starts.” Leon grins, putting his hands on his hips. He stands from the table then, and gestures for you and Hop to get up too.

Hop grins, and looks at you before getting up and hurrying after Leon. You get up and follow too, hearing Magnolia get up behind you. “Well, I haven’t seen a battle happen out on that field since Sonia and Leon were your age. I hope you two show Leon and I a great battle.” She smiles warmly at you as the two of you head outside.

You see the field she was talking about immediately, as Leon and Hop are already standing on it. It’s just outside the gate, and much bigger than the pitch back at Hop’s. Leon is spraying Hop’s Pokémon with potions, and you join the two of them as Magnolia walks over to the side to watch.

“Alright, are you ready?” Leon asks, pulling out another potion and spraying Scorbunny with it. It makes him feel better immediately, and he cries out in excitement over being ready. You nod, and Hop grins, recalling his Pokémon and turning to face you.

“Come on, mate, I need to earn this endorsement! I’m not going to lose this time, so come at me with everything you’ve got! We need to prove to Leon just how great we really are!” Hop is gesturing wildly with his arms, and you feel excitement surge through you. You look over to Scorbunny, asking him if he’s ok with being recalled, to make this a real battle. He nods; this is the first time you’ve put him back in his Pokéball since receiving him, and you recall him to his Pokéball. It feels weird for a moment, as this cuts the connection between the two of you. The silence it brings in your head is almost unsettling, you’ve grown used to constantly _feeling_ Scorbunny there, and his sudden absence feels wrong.

“Scorbunny and I don’t plan on losing either, even if we are outnumbered! Bring it, Hop!” You taunt back, a wide smile cracking your face. Hop grins too, and you both walk to the edges of the pitch.

“Listen, you two,” Leon cuts in before you can begin. “The reason I’m unbeatable is because I learn from every battle I see or take part in. That’s how I’ve gotten to where I am today. So show me something good in this battle!” Leon’s got his hands on his hips, and he looks oddly serious before breaking into a smile as he finishes.

It’s advice you plan to take to heart, as it seems like sound advice. Leon wouldn’t steer you both wrong in this, and a great way to learn more strategies is to watch what other people are doing. You nod at Leon, thankful that he imparted one of his strategies to you both. Hop, however, is looking at you, a grin on his face as he crosses his arms over his chest.

“It’s time for my legend to begin!” Hop shouts as he throws his first Pokémon out onto the pitch. “Come on out, Wooloo!”

As Wooloo appears on Hop’s side of the field, you throw your own Pokéball. You have zero practice with this, and it lands wide of where you meant to throw it. Out comes Scorbunny, and that connection is immediately re-established. He doesn’t even have to look back at you, and you barely have to look at him before you both know exactly what to do.

You and Scorbunny barely made it through your last match, but Scorbunny has gotten much better at using Ember now, and you’re more confident you can get through his Pokémon taking less hits. You’ll have to – Scorbunny has to beat three Pokémon this time. You let yourself believe you two can do this, because your confidence becomes Scorbunny’s confidence.

“Growl, lower his attack!” Hop shouts, and Wooloo carries out the request. _That’s ok, Ember doesn’t use attack, it uses special attack,_ you tell Scorbunny, and he goes in for the Ember. It’s a good hit – it knocks Wooloo right over, but the round Pokémon easily rights himself.

“Now Tackle!” Hop instructs, and Wooloo rolls up and charges at Scorbunny. It’s much easier to keep distance on this larger field, making it even easier to use Ember from a distance and keep Scorbunny completely safe. “Come on, bud, aim for where he’s going to land!” Hop cries out, and Wooloo baas back. He adjusts his strategy, and hits Scorbunny as he lands.

Scorbunny tumbles back a bit, but doesn’t let it discourage him. Wooloo is looking much worse, as he seems to stumble out of the hit and struggle to keep his balance. Scorbunny doesn’t even fully stand before shooting another Ember at Wooloo, using your vision to figure out where to aim. The hit connects as Scorbunny hops up fully, causing Wooloo to fall over.

“Ah crap, Wooloo!” Hop wails, recalling Wooloo to his Pokéball when he doesn’t get back up. “Scorbunny’s gotten better! Not sure I can say the same for you, though. You still don’t give him any instructions!” Hop’s clearly trying to rile you up, he’s got a teasing grin on his face. “Time for Grookey! Let’s get him this time!” Hop throws out another Pokéball, and out pops Grookey, who charges into battle immediately.

As Scorbunny attempts to hop out of the way of Grookey swinging his stick at him, Hop shouts, “Good job, Grookey! Hit him with Branch Poke!” Hop punches his fist into the air, a smile on his face. Grookey is fast, though, and manages to get Scorbunny before he can get out of the way. Grookey charges in again, but Scorbunny is prepared this time, and manages to jump cleanly out of the way. He doesn’t hesitate to hop blindly in any direction, as he can see where he’s going through your eyes.

“We gotta stop Scorbunny from dodging, Taunt him!” Hop shouts, and Grookey quickly follows the command. What did Taunt do in the video games again? You soon get your answer when you _feel_ Scorbunny react to this, as he’s helpless to charge into battle against his and your better senses. He goes in and lands a good kick to the unprepared Grookey, who tumbles backwards a ways. _Now please back off so you can use Ember_ you try to convince Scorbunny, but he doesn’t stop. He charges forward after Grookey instead.

Grookey recovers just as Scorbunny closes in, and Grookey gets one swing of his branch that glances off Scorbunny. _Fire move kick,_ you hear from Scorbunny, and you barely have time to think what that meant before Scorbunny’s whole foot is on fire, and he kicks Grookey. Grookey rolls further back, though he takes a moment to stand. _Is Fire Kick even a move?_ You’re unaware you’ve asked the question before Scorbunny responds _It is now_.

Scorbunny is still helpless to charge in, but at least he has a fire move he can use now. Grookey attempts to swing his stick at Scorbunny, but Scorbunny is easily able to dodge it. He lands another fire kick, and this hit sends Grookey tumbling onto his back, knocked out. _We gotta call it something cooler than Fire Kick, though,_ you tell Scorbunny as Hop flinches back with the hit Grookey took.

“Grookey!” Hop quickly recalls him. “Didn’t think my strategy would backfire so badly on me,” Hop admits sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. “That’s alright, I’ve still got Rookidee!” Hop tosses out his last Pokéball, and his newest caught partner appears on the field. “Scorbunny is looking weak, you’ve got this pal!” Hop cheers on his Rookidee, who takes flight slightly off the ground.

_What’s wrong with Fire Kick?_ Scorbunny asks you as he shakes off the effects of the taunt. He’s able to jump away easily from Rookidee as she charges in to hit Scorbunny. You think on it for a moment, while Rookidee banks a turn and comes back around to try to hit Scorbunny again. _Blaze Kick_ you decide, and Scorbunny crouches down in preparation for Rookidee to get close. As soon as she’s in the right range, Scorbunny leaps up, his foot once again catching fire as he flips in the air and nails a kick down into Rookidee as she flies helplessly underneath Scorbunny.

The hit knocks her into the ground hard, and she lets out a trill of pain, but makes no move to get back up. Scorbunny lands nearby, ready to strike again if she recovers, but Hop makes the decision for her. “Rookidee! You gave it your best shot, girl.” Hop calls her back, then slaps his hand to his head as he frowns. “Gutted I lost, but I expect nothing less from my rival.” Hop is trying take this loss well, but you can see he’s rather upset by it.

“Wow, impressive victory!” A female voice sounds from your right, and you turn to look for who the source could be. “Taking down three Pokémon with only one.” Sonia is standing just off the pitch, opposite Leon and Magnolia. You hadn’t even noticed her until now, you were so engrossed in your battle with Hop. She’s not looking at you as she talks, though, she’s staring straight at Leon. “Reminds me of a battle just like this one.” She sounds wistful, but Leon visibly flinches at the remark.

Odd, you think, but Hop’s interrupting before you can question it. “Ah, I can’t believe I lost, I even got my Pokéball throw perfect too!” Hop collapses over on himself in an over exaggerated act of his anguish.

“I can’t believe we won!” You shout, and run over to Scorbunny, lifting him off the ground and twirling him around. He’s worn out, and hurting from the hits he’s taken, but he’s just as excited about this victory as you are.

“The sting of defeat, the joy of victory…” Hop recovers, and looks at you. “I guess going through both is the key to the two of us getting stronger, right?” He walks over to you from the edge of the field, and by the time he reaches you, a small smile is back on his face. You nod to him, smiling back.

It seems Leon has recovered, as he walks up to the two of you. “Well, after seeing a match like that one,” Leon approves, looking at Hop, then looking at you, a wide smile on his face. “I suppose I have no choice but to give you both an endorsement as Champion!” Leon booms, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two letters. He hands each of you one, and you open it up to see that it is indeed a letter of endorsement.

Hop leaps up into the air, punching his fist up in excitement, then tackles his brother into a hug. “Thanks, Lee! You’re the best!” You’re glad for how easy it is to shift his mood back positively, as you didn’t like to see him so upset. Hop releases Leon, and both boys are grinning. “I swear I’m going to win my way through the gym challenge to reach you!”

“Hop, you’ve always tended to get caught up in things like how you throw your Pokéball out,” Leon counters, “Things that have nothing to do with real strength.” Hop looks like he’s about to argue, but Leon continues without letting him butt in. “Honestly, I’d been worried about you still obsessing over that sort of nonsense, but it seems you really have grown a bit, little brother!”

Hop scratches the back of his head, “Thanks, Lee.” He says quietly, a small smile gracing his face.

“You may both be young still, and plenty rough around the edges, but it was a proper battle.” Leon rests his hands on his hips, looking at you both proudly.

“Young? Leon, we took on the gym challenge younger than they are!” Sonia challenges as she walks up to the group of you.

“Well, we weren’t that much younger,” Leon counters quietly, “Nevermind that, it was a great battle!” Leon picks up his composure and his voice rises again. “Charizard and I were both feeling the excitement in every last cell in our bodies!” Charizard was watching? You hadn’t noticed him, but when you looked around, you see him in Professor Magnolia’s yard. He’s leaning against the brick fence, and once you’re aware of him, you can connect with him. _He’s not exaggerating much this time, it was a good battle,_ you hear Charizard through the connection.

“I’m glad Scorbunny was able to pull through, and he learned a new move too!” You hug Scorbunny, and he rests his head against your shoulder, wanting to take a nap.

“Oh, let me heal him up for you. Yours too, Hop.” Leon pulls more potions out of his bag, spraying Scorbunny and all of Hop’s Pokémon. Hop recalls his Pokémon immediately after, as they’re still tired from the battle and want to rest.

“You should recall Scorbunny and let him rest too,” Hop instructs you, but Scorbunny immediately rejects that idea, crying out at the suggestion.

“He’d rather stay out,” you inform Hop, petting Scorbunny and assuring him that you’re not going to put him back in his ball. Hop nods, though he looks skeptical.

Leon calls your name, getting your attention. “Yes, Scorbunny did do really well today. His battle intuition is incredible. Yet you don’t command him at all in battle.” Leon is looking over you with his head tilted to the side, like he’s trying to figure something out.

“I do so,” you huff, glancing at Scorbunny.

Leon raises an eyebrow, “Oh? Perhaps I have more to learn from that battle than I thought.” He looks contemplative for a moment, before smiling wide again.

“You’ll have to teach me your trick then!” Hop cuts in, more wild gestures with his hands. “You and me are going to train up against one another to aim for that Champion’s title!”

“Against each other?” You ask, concerned. You still want to be friends, after all. You don’t want to be rivals all the time.

“The more we keep battling against one another, the more our Pokémon will grow,” Hop explains, crossing his arms. You suppose that is true, every time you’ve fought Hop so far, Scorbunny has learned a new move.

There’s suddenly two objects streaking through the sky, towards the lake. They land just shy of it, falling into the grass near a bench looking out onto the lake.

“Huh? What’s that?” Hop calls out, startled. Everyone turns to look at where the objects fell, then Hop runs towards them. You follow behind him, and peer over his shoulder as he picks the objects up. “Well, would you look at this! They’re Wishing Stars!” Hop cheers, standing up and handing you one. “There’s two, so we can both have one! With one of these, our Pokémon can Dynamax! They’re gonna be massive! YES!” Hop is once again so overcome with excitement that he punches the air.

Leon, Sonia, and Magnolia all walk up behind the two of you. “Trust you to pull something like this, Hop!” Leon boasts, swinging his arm around Hop’s shoulders and clapping him on the back hard enough to knock Hop forward slightly. “They say Wishing Stars fall down for those who have a true wish in their heart, you know!”

“I will be the greatest trainer ever! I WILL be the greatest trainer ever! I WILL BE THE GREATEST TRAINER EVER!!!” Hop yells, fists tightly clenched and dancing in front of him as he chants. You have to cover your ears as his voice raises in volume, but you laugh regardless. You understand his excitement. “There! I said it three times, so surely my wish will come true now, right?”

“Don’t be silly, Hop,” Magnolia warns, “Those Wishing Stars are composed of a curious sort of rock containing unknown power. They are one of the most precious resources we have here in the Galar region. But they won’t do a thing for you in that state. At least, not anything you want them doing. Give them here, and I’ll have you sorted.” She gestures for the two of you to hand over your Wishing Stars.

Hop hands over his right away, so you follow. “Gran has done most of the research on the Dynamax phenomenon, she knows how to turn these Wishing Stars into something you can Dynamax your Pokémon with,” Sonia explains while she looks at you, so you assume she’s doing this for your benefit.

“First we get to battle against that mad Pokémon in the Slumbering Weald, and now we get Wishing Stars,” Hop muses, grinning at you. “It really feels like we’re getting caught up in the adventure of a lifetime!”

“It really does,” you answer honestly. Everything really is happening so fast, it feels like quite the adventure indeed.

You hope it stays that way. You hope it doesn’t become a nightmare.

“It’s almost dinner time, did you lot want to stay for dinner?” Sonia asks, looking over you, Hop, and Leon. “You must all be hungry.”

“I can always stay for your cooking, Sonia.” Leon grins, letting go of Hop to turn and face Sonia.

“I’ve been wanting to try out this new curry recipe, it sounds delicious!” Sonia turns to head back towards the house.

“Yes, and I’d love to hear more about this mad Pokémon in the Weald,” Magnolia states, looking at you and Hop before following her granddaughter.

Leon follows the two women as well, and Hop turns to you. “Sonia’s cooking really is something else, mate. I can’t wait! I wonder what kind of curry it’ll be?” Hop tugs you along by the arm as he follows everyone else. You let yourself be pulled along, laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I took a few liberties with what the moves do. Grookey doesn't learn Taunt until level 9 and Hop is not level 9 when you fight him but I needed the move so like it doesn't really matter I think. It makes the fight cooler. Also Blaze Kick can only be taught through TRs but I cannot think of what TMs and TRs would be or how they'd work so they basically don't exist? Idk or they'll exist when they're conveniently needed, I'll figure it out. Point is Scorbunny doesn't naturally learn Blaze Kick but it was what fit with what I wrote so now it's a thing. I'm sorry these early battles are really hard to fight cuz no one knows any interesting moves I need this help.  
> This was so dialogue heavy, I fear it got repetitious but idk how to dialogue well so I hope it's fine. Please let me know how I can improve that.  
> This chapter surprisingly went like exactly how I planned and I'm not sure how I managed that.  
> And it ended up being SO LONG. I wrote most of this in one day, hanging out with a friend who is writing a real book that's actually way more interesting than this so it was kind of hard to focus cuz I just wanted to read her book cuz she's so talented omg. But she gave me good tips I think, that I did not incorporate at all in this chapter. It's fine, I'll figure out how to implement concrit eventually.  
> I can't believe I've been writing for the last 8 hours what the fuck-  
> Thank you for reading, thank you for all the lovely comments, I hope this longer chapter makes up for my negligence. I'll try to be better.


	12. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I actually watched all 3 Pokémon movies on Netflix here. Power of Us was really good, the Mewtwo Strikes Back remake was good until they left out some of my favourite lines and the Viking bit, and I Choose You was really cute and I'm glad Ho-oh finally got his own movie even though LUGIA NOW HAS TWO?! Power of Us was my favourite of the three though, I highly suggest giving it a watch. Ash isn't front and center this time so it's more tolerable. I also caught that theme joke there, real cute Pokémon Company, the first Lugia movie being Power of One and now this SECOND LUGIA MOVIE being Power of Us.  
> Can you tell I played Gold and Crystal and not Silver and therefore care nothing for Lugia and he gets too much attention???  
> Anyway enjoy this entirely ad-libbed, cursed chapter.

Hop is right, Sonia’s cooking is really good. It’s much better than anything you’ve managed to make during your stay here. It’s nice to get to know Sonia and Magnolia better over dinner, and Magnolia is even kind enough to bring out tea and cookies for desert.

“Ah crap, I forgot to watch the time, it’s dark out already!” Leon calls from near the window as he stares outside.

“Too late to be walking all the way back at this hour now,” Magnolia responds from her seat at the table.

“Yeah, and Charizard can only really safely carry two people on his back at a time. I can’t get all three of us home.” Leon looks between you and Hop, tilting his head to the side as he thinks.

“You guys could always stay here, we’ve got the spare room and two extra futons somewhere. I think they were in the basement, I’ll go check,” Sonia offers as she gets up to go look.

Leon sighs and shakes his head. “Can’t be helped, I’ll call Mum and let her know we’re all staying here so she doesn’t worry.” He pulls out his phone and walks into the next room to make his call.

“Too bad about that Corviknight Taxi strike in the area, hope that’s solved soon,” Magnolia muses from the table as she grabs another cookie off the plate.

Hop murmurs his agreement before turning to you and tugging you off to help Sonia. The three of you find the futons and spare bedding and drag them all upstairs. “We can fit one in the spare room and one in my room.” Sonia turns to look at you, and continues, “Assuming you’re ok with staying in my room, that is.” She offers a kind smile, and you’re glad you’ve at least got the option.

“That’s fine,” you tell her anyways, and you drag the futon up the next flight of stairs with her while Hop runs off to excitedly tell his brother about sharing a room. Sonia lends you some pajamas and shows you to the bathroom. You hear Leon and Hop loudly fighting over who gets the actual bed, before you hear Hop loudly challenge Leon to something as Sonia rolls her eyes.

“Those two never change,” she mumbles while she rolls her eyes, and you laugh.

“They certainly keep things lively,” you reply. You and Sonia go back downstairs after getting ready for bed, watching Leon and Hop’s card game. Leon wins, and Hop grumbles about getting the futon. You all wish each other a good night before heading to bed.

You’re getting comfy on the futon with Scorbunny when Sonia gets your attention. “So where did you really come from, anyways? Leon and Gran know, but they won’t tell me about it.” Sonia’s looking at you, her eyes filled with curiosity. You’re not sure how much you’re allowed to tell her, but you figure she must be safe to talk to, as she’s Leon’s friend and the granddaughter of the professor.

She finds your explanation strange but entertaining, and asks a lot of questions. “So these video games have Pokémon in them? But Pokémon don’t exist there?”

“That’s right! And the stuff in the games has been pretty accurate to how things really work here. It’s weird, but some of the things are wrong, so it’s been a challenge figuring out what information is true and what isn’t.” Sonia finds this all interesting, and she keeps you up for a few hours with questions about your world, and talks about her own world.

She, like everyone else you’ve talked to about this, doesn’t find it all that weird that you’re from a different world. At least, not as weird as you think she should find it. Having creatures with strange magical powers must really distort a person’s conception of what’s possible, you think. You confirm some new facts though, and Sonia has given you her phone number by the end of it with the offer to help answer any other questions you may have. She also wants to know more, as she’s impressed with the battle knowledge the games have gifted you with.

You learn a bit about Sonia too. She did her gym challenge with Leon, and completed it, though lost to Leon in the finals. She has an odd look on her face as she talks about her loss, however. “I don’t battle anymore,” she tells you as she pets her Yamper. Seems it’s a touchy subject, as when you ask her about why, she changes the topic. You both fall asleep eventually, exhausted after a long day and a lot of conversation.

In the morning, Sonia cooks breakfast while you help Hop and Leon clean up and put the bedding and futons away. Breakfast is just as delicious as dinner was, but you don’t stay long after that. Leon wants to head back as soon as he’s finished feeding his Pokémon, so you and Hop say your goodbyes.

“Thanks again for letting us stay the night.” Hop grins, leaning against the door frame.

“Anytime, dearie. It’s always nice to have company,” Magnolia replies, “Oh, and you’ll have to come back in a few days for your Wishing Stars. I’ll let you know when they’re ready.” She pats Hop on the shoulder before shooing him out the door. She points to Leon, who’s recalled all his Pokémon.

“Ok, ready to go you two?” Leon calls out from the yard.

You wave to Sonia and Magnolia, “Thank you both, again! See you!” You turn towards Leon and start walking over. When Hop doesn’t immediately shoot past you, you turn around to see him trying to struggle out of a hug from Sonia. You’re still laughing when Hop runs past you, but his glare feels harmless when he’s still got a grin on his face.

Hop decides he’s running off ahead after he releases his Pokémon; he has some serious training to put in now that he’s got his endorsement. Leon encourages Hop to go on ahead, grabbing you by your sleeve before you try to follow Hop. You look up at Leon questioningly, and he gives you a serious look that you’re not sure the meaning of. Hop and his Pokémon run off up the hill, and Leon waits for him to be completely out of sight before he lets go of your sleeve and speaks.

“I was hoping to talk to you about something, privately. This seemed like the perfect opportunity.” Leon begins walking, gesturing for you to follow.

“What about?” You ask, looking away from Leon to spot where Scorbunny has run off to.

“Yesterday, you told me you were commanding Scorbunny in battle. I want you to explain to me how.” You look back at Leon, and he’s staring at you with that same serious expression. It reminds you of how he looks when battling.

“Uh…” You’re not sure how to answer him. How do you put words to that connection you share with him? With all Pokémon? Would Leon even understand it? It’s clear to you now that whatever it is, it isn’t normal here. Scorbunny pops back out of the woods and runs over to you, sensing your inner turmoil.

“I didn’t see you make any physical gestures, and you were silent the whole battle. At first, I wrote it off as you training Scorbunny on what to do without commands, or Scorbunny being naturally talented. But you told me you _were_ commanding him. I couldn’t see how at first, but now I think I might. I want to know if you’re doing what I think you’re doing.” Leon crosses his arms over his chest. He’s still staring at you, though his intense golden gaze has caused you to drop your eyes to Scorbunny.

“Well, what do you think I’m doing?” You look up to Leon briefly before dropping your eyes to Scorbunny once more. “I really don’t know how to explain it, so if you know it, then maybe I don’t have to try to find the words for this.” You fidget with your hands in front of you while watching Scorbunny.

This seems to have stumped Leon too, as he tilts his head and brings his hand up to his chin, his gaze no longer on you. “Hmm, perhaps it would be better if I showed you.” Leon mumbles while digging his phone out of his pocket. He stops walking as he begins searching for something on it. You help Scorbunny fight a few wild Pokémon before Leon finds whatever he was searching for.

“Ok, this is a battle from the World Championships two years ago. Pay attention to this guy.” Leon points to the man with a red and white cap. “He’s one of the few people who can do it.”

He looks oddly familiar, with his short sleeve red jacket. “Who is he?” Leon doesn’t answer, and instead presses play.

“This will be an exciting match today folks!” The announcer’s voice picks up mid-sentence. “Two incredible trainers will be facing off today! We have Sinnoh’s own beloved Champion, Cynthia, fighting off against the legendary man who’s yet to lose a match this tournament, Trainer Red!”

You audibly gasp. Red was real? And Cynthia too? You lean in closer, your shoulder bumping into Leon as you try to get a better view on the small screen. The two trainers walk up to their respective sides of the field, the announcer talking about their respective battle styles. It’s something he says while talking about Red that catches your attention, “Of course, it’s hard to know what Red will do next! With no commands, he makes sure his opponents have no idea what’s coming!”

“What? Red can do it too?” You exclaim a little louder than you intend, looking up at Leon for an explanation.

“Watch,” Leon chastises, and you frown before turning back to the phone. Red has sent out a Venosaur, and Cynthia has sent out a Lucario, and the two Pokémon immediately begin to clash. The announcer is explaining everything that’s going on, but you can still hear Cynthia calling out commands to her Pokémon over him. Red, however, is completely silent, just watching the battle.

“The way he communicates with his Pokémon so effortlessly without words really is impressive!” The announcer’s voice catches your attention again as Venosaur knocks Lucario out. “It’s like his Pokémon read his thoughts and know what to do way ahead of his opponent’s Pokémon. Such an impressive bond he has with his Pokémon!”

“That’s it!” You shout, looking up at Leon again. “It’s like we’re reading each other’s thoughts, that’s it!” You can’t help the way you try to point at the phone like Leon wouldn’t know what you were talking about.

“I thought so.” Leon smiles widely at you. “Want to finish watching this match? It’s one of my favourites.” Leon rubs the back of his neck with one hand.

You nod, smiling back at him. You lean against him to get a good view of the intense match, picking up Scorbunny partway in when he wants to watch too. You don’t notice the way Leon blushes at the contact. The match ends with an impressive victory from Red, Cynthia only managing to knock out 3 of his Pokémon.

“Ah, what a cool battle!” You exclaim when it’s over. It’s so cool to see this legendary trainer turn out to be a real person. “I wanna be that good someday,” you sigh.

Leon laughs. “You could be, one day. You’ll have to work hard. I wish I could battle with him, I want to know which one of us is stronger!” Leon tucks his phone away and the two of you begin walking again.

“Why can’t you?” You look at him, but he’s looking off into the distance.

“Ah, I suppose you wouldn’t know. Galar is surrounded by this wall of intense weather, way out to sea. We knew there were other regions out there, but people rarely left Galar to try to find them, and fewer returned. Few from other regions would occasionally make it here as well. We discovered a few years back that Pokémon could pass through it unharmed, so about a year and a half ago, we worked with Kanto to get Galar on the same network as the rest of the regions, so we could freely communicate with each other. We used Pokémon to communicate and get this set up.” Leon has the same habit of gesturing with his hands a lot while he speaks, and you suspect Hop picked it up from Leon.

“But people still can’t get through it?” You frown, it’s a little worrying to find that this region you’re on is completely isolated.

“Not safely, no. People are free to try, but we haven’t found a way to get people through safely. Boats and planes don’t work, and even if you’re on the back of a Pokémon, that Pokémon may be safe but you certainly aren’t. I don’t believe it’s worth risking my life over, personally.” Though Leon speaks with a bitter tone, he looks oddly defeated. You wonder if he’s tried to cross it in the past, or knows someone who has.

“Oh.” You’re not sure what else to say to that. You don’t know Leon well enough to feel comfortable prying into this further than you have, and you don’t want to cross a boundary. Silence lingers for a while, and you eventually think of something to talk about to end how uncomfortable it feels to you. “So what is that thing Red can do, anyway? Is there a name for it or something?”

“Uh, no, I don’t think so. It’s an incredibly close bond with Pokémon, few people are known to be capable of it. Red is one of them, but there are a few others as well. They’re all incredibly strong trainers as well. Actually, the reason I got to find out about all of them, was because the World Championship was going on in Unova when we got the communication set up between Galar and the rest of the world. We got to watch all the matches here live on television. I’d stay up late into the night to be able to watch them all.” Leon laughs at this admission, and you smile as well, glad the mood has lightened up again.

“Seems like good timing,” You reply. Scorbunny is beginning to get tired of being held, so you set him down so he can go where he pleases.

“It wasn’t! The Champion Cup was coming up, and happening, during it. I may have defended my title, but it certainly wasn’t my most impressive match. Raihan sure got a kick out of that battle!” Leon looks a little embarrassed, but he’s still smiling.

You giggle at his admission. “Even the Champion doesn’t have his priorities in order,” you tease.

“Hey, I never claimed to be the Champion of time management skills,” Leon shoots back, and you can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of you. Leon grins at this, and you both turn to watch Scorbunny take down a Rookidee.

You’re half paying attention to Scorbunny, half to Leon. Scorbunny is trying to take on anything that will fight him, and you guide him through battle when he finds a Pokémon to challenge. Part of you is still paying attention to your conversation with Leon, though, and you want to know more about this bond. “Does anyone else in Galar have this bond thing?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” Leon shakes his head. “Can you do that with any Pokémon? Is that how you were communicating with Charizard?” Leon looks at you now, a hand on his chin.

“Any Pokémon that wants to, yeah. With some it’s easier than others. Like it’s really easy with Scorbunny, and Hop’s Pokémon, and Charizard too. That is how I was talking to him,” You offer back, and Leon laughs at this.

“No wonder he likes you so much then! He’s so picky about the people he likes, I was wondering how you got on his good side so quickly.” Leon’s got his hand back on his chin again and he looks off into the distance.

“I keep hearing this but really, he just likes kind people only, he’s not that picky,” You bring up this tidbit of knowledge you learned on your walk with Charizard when Leon first got back.

Leon, however, doesn’t reply. It seems he’s lost in thought now, as he’s still staring off into the distance. When he starts heading off the path, you realize he’s not paying attention to his surroundings at all, and you’re beginning to understand how this man gets so lost all the time. You tug on his cape, turning him back to the path. He does not react to you at all, and you have to do this multiple times with him.

You don’t try to interrupt him though, you know what it’s like to want to be lost in your head for a while. You guide him up the path, back to Wedgehurst, while Scorbunny fights off random wild Pokémon.

In fact, he’s fighting a- wait, what is he fighting right now? Something yellow? You turn over to look.

He’s a Rookidee. You’ve never seen a yellow one before. In fact, you knew both male and female Rookidee were blue. The Rookidee spread his wings and briefly took flight, the light reflecting off him making him look shiny- could he be a shiny? He lands in front of Scorbunny, ready to fight. Scorbunny is getting ready to attack, so you instruct, _Wait!_

Scorbunny pauses at your command, and looks back at you. He understands without you having to explain more. You can _feel_ the Rookidee, and you can tell he wants a fight. You don’t, so you crouch down low and try to push your feelings to him.

_Please like me I mean you no harm you are beautiful and special please like me._ You might be coming on a little strong, but you can’t exactly control your honest feelings over this bond thing yet.

He responds positively to this regardless, and comes over to you. You are the first creature he’s come across that thinks he’s beautiful. Other Pokémon think he’s an abomination, and avoid him as he’s an easy target for prey. Your heart melts for him, and you open your arms, inviting him in. You want to take care of him and love him, and he looks so happy to learn this. He hops right up into your arms, and you hug him to your chest.

Scorbunny, feeling a little jealous and left out, comes over and butts his head against your arm. _What about me?_ He looks up at you with a pathetically sad look. You welcome him into your arms too, “I’m going to love and take care of both of you.” You state it out loud to affirm it. _But I’ll take care of you,_ you feel from Scorbunny. And Rookidee agrees, _I’m really strong, so I can take care of you too._

“Then we’ll all take care of each other. We’re a family now, us three. We’re gonna look after each other.” You respond out loud again, it’s more for your own benefit at this point. _And be the best!_ You feel from Scorbunny.

You laugh, “That’s right, bud. You’re gonna take down Charizard, and together we’re going to beat Leon.” You promise them, and Scorbunny trills in excitement while Rookidee chirps loudly in agreement. You feel his willingness to join you and Scorbunny on your quest to be the best. You pull a Pokéball out of your bag and offer it to the Rookidee.

He sniffs at it, but doesn’t pull away. “It’s how you can join me and Scorbunny, officially,” You explain, and he chirps softly before butting his head against the ball. The light clicks green immediately, and you release him out of it right away. He doesn’t mind the ball as much as Scorbunny does, but you’d rather be able to build that connection with him, so you keep him out of the ball. You tuck it away in your bag.

You’re still crouched on the ground when you hear a familiar voice that startles you. “Great catch there!” Leon calls, and you turn to see him walking towards you through the tall grass. You’re glad he didn’t get himself lost while you turned away from him, but now you’re worried about how much he overheard. Again.

You see the surprise on his face when he gets close enough to see the new Pokémon you’ve caught. “A Rookidee, huh? I’ve never seen one that colour before!” His face splits into a wide grin and he sounds excited.

“You have any idea what that means?” You ask him as you stand up. Scorbunny is happy to remain in your arms, and Rookidee flies up to land on your shoulder.

Leon shakes his head. “No, I’ve never seen anything like this. You should show the professor when we go to pick up your Wishing Stars later. She’ll be interested in this, I imagine. She might know what it means, or at least she might know someone who does.” Leon stops and looks around, looking a little lost. “Uh, which way were we going again?” He asks quietly.

You point back to the trail and up the hill. “We can’t go back today?”

“We really should get back, I imagine Hop is at least at Wedgehurst by now.” Leon puts a hand on your back and begins guiding you back up the hill.

Ah, right, Hop has run off ahead. Margret is likely waiting for you all as well. You have to return for the Wishing Stars anyways, he has a point. You sigh, but nod, looking back over your shoulder. You can just barely see the purple roof of the house peeking through the trees, and the lake as it stretches behind a hill. Finding out more about if shinies are a thing will have to wait.

You talk with Rookidee as you all head back home, finding out what he knows how to do. Scorbunny wants down from your arms at this talk, and he’s ready to show off what he knows to Rookidee. He tries to show Rookidee moves, but Rookidee isn’t sure how to copy them. You instruct both in battle, and you’re proud of how well they work together already. They get along great; you’re glad you were able to find a good partner for your team.

Leon offers tips occasionally, and even lets Sobble out to train him as well. You miss the smile he’s been giving you this whole time, your focus instead placed solely on your Pokémon.

You don’t know he’s overheard your confession, your plan to beat him. You don’t know he’s more excited to fight you than any other opponent he’s ever had to face before. You don’t know he can’t wait to see what you can really do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so several things, first thing is STORY TIME  
> So back in January, this is how long ago this shit happened, I was in a meeting and I was grinding in Pokémon Shield. I'd just transferred over the Pokémon I was going to be using in this story as level 1s that I had spent hours grinding to make in Pokémon Sword. I wanted to get them to level 10 to match the level of my starter Scorbunny. Grinding takes like 2 brain cells and I'm not Secretary anymore so I could just sit there and half pay attention and half grind on my switch. I'm like not paying attention to my switch either, I'm more catching up on the drama I missed with my neighbors. I'm about to kill this Rookidee when I look down and he's FUCKING YELLOW??? So I lose my shit a little, whisper "what the fuck" really ominously which causes people to pay attention and in the end I derailed the meeting because who the fuck encounters a FULL ODDS SHINY??? I spent hours. HOURS. Grinding for the shiny for this story that was supposed to appear later and??? This fuck??? Has the AUDACITY??? I wasn't sure what to do with him for the longest time so I stopped playing, which was fine because I hadn't caught up to writing that point. I felt like I had to use him, you know? But he probably had shit stats, I thought, and all my others I'd grinded to get 5 or 6 perfect IVs. These were the Pokémon I had made with the intention of getting through the story using only them and matching what the reader would be doing and using. I did not have plans for this Rookidee. But fate placed him in my lap and how could I not??? So I rewrote a whole bunch to include this mother fucker. I'm more over it now because it happened in January but like when it happened? I was pissed man, cuz it was either ignore fate (which wasn't actually an option) or use this guy and cry that he sucks and rewrite my plot. I didn't have to rewrite that much so like in the end it was fine and I was overreacting but that is the story of how we now have a shiny on the reader's team. Fucking 1 in 8192. So this is fate and canon now and we're running the Rookidee.  
> In the end it was actually super fine because I hacked my switch recently so I just gave this bitch perfect IVs for spiting me, and his IVs weren't actually that bad to begin with so I don't feel all that guilty.  
> Which, brings me to my next point. I have a hacked switch now so if any of you guys want Pokémon I can get you Pokémon. But like I have no idea how people communicate these days, I don't really use any social media platforms. Discord?? Idk I'm MightyMage#8983 on there if you want a Pokémon.  
> Or if you just wanna chat about Pokémon that's cool too. What platforms do you guys use to communicate with the world these days?  
> I wanna start shiny g-max raid grinding too but I'm so lazy like thanks depression??  
> Also like I was really inspired by Power of Us, again I highly recommend watching it if you've got Netflix. If not, live your best Be Gay Do Crime life and pirate it because really, so good. I cried actual tears when Callahan held out that Pokeball for Sudowoodo like fuck man that was such a touching moment that I totally didn't steal for my own story no sir.  
> Thanks Dar4 for the suggestion to go watch some of the anime.  
> As always thank you so much for reading. I do have to warn you, there will be some darker stuff coming up in future chapters. I'm working on the second interlude where there's going to be some darker things mentioned, and a character is going to get injured in the future. I'll put content warnings at the beginning of chapters that have stuff like this.  
> Thank you for all the kudos and comments and bookmarks, really every time I see that I get more it brightens my day, and it means so much more while I struggle with my depression. Thank you <3


	13. Interlude Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't think I'd finish this one first, I had gotten kinda stuck. This was shorter than intended but I planned this one out all one night without writing anything down, so I forgot a lot of what I wanted to include in it of course. I think I covered the important bits? I wanted to get out one more lighthearted chapter before we got here but oh well, that is not what the writing muses had in store for me.  
> Welcome to the chapter that makes me go change the ratings because I didn't originally plan for it to go this dark but HERE WE ARE, NO GOING BACK NOW
> 
> CW for drug use

He leans against the wall, waiting for Raihan to get off the phone. He hears Raihan wrap up the call, and then a sigh as Raihan leans further into the couch. He rounds the corner into the room, and sees Raihan sprawled across the couch with his feet hanging over the arm. “That Leon?” He asks as he leans against the door frame.

“Yeah,” is all Raihan offers. Piers watches him for a minute, until Raihan sits up and drags a hand down his face. “Found out what’s been going on with him,” Raihan starts cautiously, and Piers keeps quiet while Raihan finishes. “What are you doing up still, anyways?” He changes the subject, and Piers scoffs.

“Nightmare. Can’t get back to sleep,” Piers replies, looking down to the floor to avoid Raihan’s gaze.

“Wanna talk about it?” Raihan offers, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his legs.

Piers fidgets with his necklace. “No.”

“That bad huh? You going to get high?” Raihan asks, eyes still on Piers.

Piers is still avoiding Raihan’s gaze. “I was gonna ask if I can smoke in here. It’s fuckin’ cold out.”

Raihan shrugs. “Sure, just air this place out tomorrow will you? Nessa is coming and you know how she gets about the smell.”

Piers nods, and pulls out a joint, lighting it as he moves into the living room. Raihan pats the couch beside him, and Piers sinks into it. He leans back into Raihan’s side, bringing his legs up onto the couch. Raihan hands him an ashtray from the side table. They lapse into silence while Piers gets high. After a couple drags, Piers speaks up, “It was about Rose.”

“I figured.” Raihan wraps an arm loosely around him for comfort.

Piers can tell Raihan wants to ask him something, he’s bouncing his leg and glancing over at Piers repeatedly, but is refraining. “What do ya want? You’re doing that thing again.”

Raihan chuckles, “I can’t keep anything from you. You’re too perceptive.” He takes a deep breath. “Leon… Needs a favour,” Raihan starts.

“What does he want?” Piers asks, as he blows smoke out. He offers the joint to Raihan, but he waves it off.

“A fake ID for this girl who showed up in the Slumbering Weald,” Raihan explains, and Piers snorts.

“Leon? Goody goody Leon needs a fake?” Piers can’t help the laugh that leaves him. He takes another hit from his joint. “No way.” He says it more out of disbelief than to reject it, but he goes quiet. When Raihan doesn’t say anything immediately either, Piers lets his mind wander as he tries to imagine what Leon could want a fake for.

“You owe him, you know.” Raihan’s voice interrupts his thoughts, and Piers looks up to see Raihan watching him.

“I’m aware.” Piers takes another hit from his joint and leans further into Raihan. He looks away from Raihan again before continuing. “I’m just confused why ‘im of all people would need somethin’ like this. Why not go the legit way? He’s in Rose’s good books right now.”

Raihan sighs, “Rose wants her for something. Leon is trying to keep her safe, and hidden from Rose.”

“Fuck.” Piers flinches involuntarily. “’Course I’ll do it then. I’ll text him what I need from him. Fuck.” A shudder runs through his body, and Raihan wraps his other arm around him. Piers takes the last hit from his joint before snuffing it out in the ashtray on his lap. “He better do a damn good job keepin’ ‘er from Rose, or we’re both gonna be in for it.”

Raihan makes a small “yeah” while he continues to rub Piers’ back. He knows well the kind of punishments both could receive if Rose ever found out. “I’ll help cover her up, I’m sure our friends will help too. Leon’s family is helping also. We’ll keep this from Rose, for your sakes and hers.”

Conversation ends after that, both men too tired to talk about this more tonight. Piers ends up falling asleep against Raihan, and Raihan carries him to bed. He’s too tired to be bothered with putting Piers back in his own bed, so Raihan brings Piers to his room. He tucks Piers into his own bed and falls asleep beside him.

Raihan doesn’t sleep well that night.

\----------------------------------------------------------

(Leon going to Wedgehurst ahead of Hop and Kieran, and talking with Sonia, before realizing Kieran and Hop aren’t coming. He goes back to search for them, and gets lost in the Slumbering Weald before finally finding them.)

While Kieran and Hop run back to her place to get her bag, Leon decides to get on Charizard’s back and fly to Wedgehurst, to give whoever is at the lab the heads up that the two budding Trainers are on their way to get Pokédexes. The flight is short, and Charizard lands right outside the lab in Wedgehurst, specifically so Leon can’t get lost on his way.

“Thank you, my friend!” Leon pets Charizard before walking up to the building and opening the door, Charizard pacing off to go entertain himself.

Inside is always so amazing to Leon. There’s so many important books, and so many plants, it’s such a relaxing place for him. “Who’s there?” A voice calls from further within, letting Leon know Sonia is the one here.

“It’s your old rival!” Leon announces, pacing further into the space.

“Oh, Leon! Nice of you to drop in! What brings you here?” Sonia puts down her work and comes over to greet her friend, giving him a smile as she comes to stop in front of him.

“Well, my little brother has finally asked me to do the Gym Challenge! Can you believe it? I’ve been waiting for this moment for two years!” Leon gushes, a wide grin on his face.

“So you endorsed him?” Sonia asks, leading Leon off to the small sitting area further in.

“No! He has to earn that! Though I did send him and his new friend down here for Pokédexes!” Leon follows after his friend, plopping down into the worn couch near the window.

“Leon!” The man only laughs at Sonia’s reaction. “He’s going to get discouraged! Do you want tea?” Sonia buzzes over to the counter, turning the kettle on and grabbing a mug out for herself. She turns to Leon as she does, wondering if she needs to grab a second mug.

“Sure, I’ll have whatever you’re having,” Leon replies with a wave of his hand, and Sonia grabs a second mug, plucking two tea bags out of a container and dropping them into the mugs. “I doubt he’ll get discouraged. He seems pretty set on it. That girl seems to be pushing him to do better.”

“So who is this girl?” Sonia asks, and Leon realizes he hasn’t explained Kieran and where she came from to Sonia yet.

“Uh, her name is Kieran,” Leon begins hesitantly, unsure how much to tell Sonia. He doesn’t want her too heavily involved if he can help it, as her involvement only puts her in danger with Rose.

“Ok, odd name, but where’s she from?” Sonia fills the mugs with hot water when it’s near boiling, bringing them both over to the couch. She hands Leon one and sits down at the edge of the couch, pulling her legs up and facing Leon.

“Uh…” Leon trails off, unsure how to answer Sonia. “Unova?” Sonia doesn’t buy it, but Leon’s changing the subject before she can question it. “Hop sort of took over taking care of her, and got real attached. Goes practically everywhere with her now! And won’t stop talking about her, either. I think he’s got a bit of a crush!” Leon laughs, and Sonia joins in, amused.

“Well, I can’t wait to meet her,” Sonia muses, taking a sip of her tea. She and Leon continue to catch up for a bit, having missed each other’s company. It’s when Leon starts glancing at the clock that Sonia wonders what’s up. “Hey, everything alright?”

“They should have been here by now, it’s been nearly two hours,” Leon mutters, getting up from the couch. He sets his mug on the counter, and walks to the door. Sonia follows after him, her heels clicking on the floor as she hurries.

“Maybe they got sidetracked with something?” Sonia asks, sensing Leon’s worry. She knows how he is about Hop, so of course the man is naturally worried when he doesn’t know where his brother is.

“Hop? Getting sidetracked? Unlikely, when he gets something in his mind, that’s all he can think to do. At least _he_ should have been here by now. I’m going to go check on them.” Leon opens the door, leaving the building without so much as a goodbye.

“Ok, I’ll still be here for a bit when you find them!” Sonia calls after the man who’s running away.

Leon whistles for Charizard, and climbs onto his back quickly when the orange Pokémon arrives. “We’re looking for Hop! Let’s go!” Is all Leon explains before getting Charizard to take off, worry clear in his voice. The two fly over the route to Wedgehurst, flying low so they could see either Hop or Kieran along the path. Hitting Postwick without seeing them, Leon stops at home to check if the two are there.

“Mum? Have you seen Hop or Kieran?” He calls, popping his head into the kitchen.

“No, dear. I thought you all were busy with your Trainer stuff today?” She answers, looking over her shoulder to catch sight of her concerned son. “Why, is everything alright?”

“Hop and Kieran were supposed to come to the lab in Wedgehurst to get Pokédexes, but they still haven’t shown up. That was over two hours ago, though.” Leon catches his mother up on the situation, her face pulling down as Leon explains. “I didn’t see them on the route on the way over, but I’m going to check again. Please let me know if you see either of them,” he requests before leaving.

“Of course, Leon!” His mother calls after him, Leon getting back on Charizard and flying over the route back to Wedgehurst. Still not seeing them, he texts Sonia as he flies over Wedgehurst, looking for them among the people there. Many wave to him, and he waves back, trying to put a brighter look on for his fans while he searches for his missing brother.

Sonia texts back that they still haven’t shown up, so Leon leaves Wedgehurst once more when Sonia promises to call him if they show up. Flying over the route one more time, they still don’t see the two missing teens, and Leon grows more worried. He decides to check Kieran’s home, as that’s where they were heading last he saw them.

Landing out front, Leon runs up to the small cottage and knocks on the door, waiting for an answer. When he receives none, he sighs, and walks away from the cottage. “Where the hell could they have gone?!” He asks Charizard, looking around out front.

That’s when he notices a broken gate far off in the distance, in the entrance to the Slumbering Weald. “No, please tell me they didn’t go in there!” Leon begs no one in particular, looking desperately out at the broken gate, willing them to appear.

Unsure where else they could have gone but to investigate, Leon gestures for Charizard to follow him, and the two head into the thick trees of the Slumbering Weald. Leon runs, calling out for Hop as he goes, Charizard flying behind him.

“Hop! Hop, where are you?!” It’s dark here in the forest, and as evening came closer outside the trees, it would only grow darker. Leon shudders, scared his brother might’ve gotten hurt. He runs and shouts, tripping over roots occasionally or hitting his face against low hanging branches, but he doesn’t see Hop. Charizard keeps pace behind him, though stuck to the ground due to how thick the trees grow in the Weald.

Leon checks his phone, noticing he has no service, but that he’s also been inside the Weald for over an hour, and has seen no trace of them. “Perhaps they’re not here…” Leon mumbles, turning to Charizard. “Let’s try to find our way out, maybe someone’s found them by now!” He commands, and Charizard turns around to lead him out.

Only, with the fog rolling in, they’re completely lost. “Shit,” Leon curses, as they turn another bend and still aren’t sure where they are. Even Charizard’s normally impeccable sense of direction is turned on its head in the maze that is the Slumbering Weald. There’s a reason it’s off limits.

Stumbling around in the dense fog, Leon hears a howl. “They could be in danger if they are in here, let’s head towards that instead!” Leon decides, and Charizard changes course. The two trek through trees to get to the sound, and are shocked to find two bodies and three Pokémon lying in a clearing.

“Hop!” Leon screams, running over to his little brother. Hop doesn’t move, and Leon fears the worst. He sees Scorbunny and Wooloo, as well as a second, unknown Wooloo further away. Leon sends Charizard to check on the Pokémon as Leon collapses next to his brother.

First, he checks for breathing, and sighs with relief when he notices his brother is, in fact, breathing. Then he looks him over for injuries, and notices nothing worse than a few scratches. Shaking his brother to wake him, Leon calls out again, “Hop! Hop, wake up!” Slowly, the boy comes to, blinking awake in Leon’s arms.

He groans, and Leon sighs with relief. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?! Fuck, let me wake Kieran.” Leon helps Hop to his feet, then moves to wake the other unconscious person.

As she comes to, Leon launches into a lecture about how they shouldn’t have come here, his worry slowly ebbing away.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“Dearie, what brings you all the way out here?” Professor Magnolia asks Leon as she beckons him inside her home.

“There’s…something I’d like to talk to you about, if you have the time,” Leon mutters, scratching at the back of his head.

“I always have the time for you, Leon, come in and make yourself comfortable. Would you like tea?” She shuffles into the den, making herself comfortable in her recliner.

“No, I’m fine, thank you,” Leon replies, waving her off. He knows if he says yes, he’ll be the one having to prepare it for them. He’s not falling into that trap again. He takes a seat on the couch, heaving a sigh as he stares at the floor.

Magnolia gives him the time to compose himself before asking, “Now, what is this about?”

“It’s about… You know that girl? The one that just showed up in the Slumbering Weald?” Leon begins hesitantly, still looking down at the floor.

“Yes, what about her?” Magnolia prompts, putting her feet up as she pulled the lever on the side of her recliner, getting comfier.

“Well… Rose is after her. She’s tied to some prophecy, something about the world being in danger and a hero from another world showing up to save the day. Rose is obsessed with it, because it’s come true in other regions. I’m…worried what he’ll do to her if he finds out about her…” Leon explains, wrapping his arms around himself, eyes still not looking up to meet Magnolia’s.

Magnolia knows the kinds of things Rose does to the top Trainers working under him. She knows what he does to those who disobey him, or stand against him, too. She knows what Leon is risking by helping this girl, and keeping her from Rose. But she also knows what that girl would face should she be found. “I see,” she whispers after a while when Leon doesn’t continue.

“Please help us keep up the lie that she’s from Unova. For her sake, for my sake, and for the sakes of the other people who are helping me keep her hidden from him.” Leon swallows, shifting uncomfortably on the couch.

“Of course, Leon. But this is about more than just the girl, isn’t it? You could have told me all this over the phone, why come all the way here?” Magnolia watches Leon with a careful eye, trying to figure out his real reasons for coming here. “Did he hurt you again?” She asks softly, waiting for Leon to answer.

Leon takes a deep breath and sighs, a slight tremble in his arms as he shifts. After a moment, he nods slowly, head tilted down to hide the tears.

Magnolia folds the footrest of her chair back in, and gets up to move to the couch. She seats herself beside Leon, and drapes an arm around him. “Oh dearie,” she chokes, unable to comfort him more than rubbing his back. She knows there’s no fixing what goes on in Rose Tower, not anything she has the power to fix without putting her granddaughter at risk.

“When doesn’t he hurt me? I should be used to this by now.” Leon sounds bitter, resentful towards himself and his inability to defend himself from the monster he works for.

“Oh Leon, don’t be so hard on yourself. What he does can’t be so easily brushed aside. You’re not weak for feeling the way you’re feeling,” Magnolia consoles, continuing to rub his back.

The two sit there in silence for a while, Leon not saying anything. “They’re coming. Hop and Kieran.” He changes the subject when he does finally speak.

“Oh? Why is that?” She asks, and Leon shrugs.

“Magnolia, am I doing the right thing? Keeping her from Rose?” He changes the subject again instead of answering, and Magnolia can only sigh. She’s used to this with him.

“There’s no right or wrong answer to that, dearie. You’re protecting her from going through what you go through, and potentially worse. If he wants her for a prophecy, does he want to prevent it from happening, or make sure it happens? Because depending on the answer, he may be harsher to her.” Magnolia purses her lips, answering him honestly.

“I’m…not sure, actually. I don’t know if he wants to prevent it or not. I hadn’t thought about that.” Leon sounds surer of himself, like he’s coming around to his own answer to his question.

“Wanting to help a total stranger is very kind of you. Wanting to protect someone from the horrors you face is very brave of you. You are a strong man, Leon, going through what you go through. I personally think you’re doing the right thing, and I’m sure those that are helping you agree. But you will face severe repercussions for this, if you’re ever found out, you know,” Magnolia warns, not unkindly.

“I’m aware,” Leon trails off, thinking. “I’m obviously going to continue to keep her safe. Ratting her out now would only put Piers in danger. There’s more than just her fate on the line now. I’m just… Maybe I should have told Rose to begin with. Saved myself this headache. But Hop is so fond of her, I want to be sure I made the right choice in protecting her. Have I unintentionally put Hop in danger because of this?” Leon finally looks at Magnolia then, horror and fear written on his features.

“Oh, Leon, is that what this is all about? You do so much to protect that boy from Rose, I’m sure he’ll be ok.” Magnolia knows she’s lying, but she wants to comfort Leon in this moment.

“But he _knows_! He’s in on it, he knows about the prophecy, too! Rose would…” Leon hiccups then, wrapping his arms back around himself.

Magnolia has nothing to say to this. She can’t meet Leon’s eyes, there’s too much pain written in them. She sits beside Leon in silence, rubbing his back, unable to lie to him further. After a long time, Magnolia finally speaks up. “Yes, Rose would hurt him. You’ve spun a dangerous web by protecting her, and endangered a lot of people. Please keep Sonia out of this.”

Leon startles at her harsh words, and looks at her, hurt written in his eyes. “But… Well, I haven’t told her much yet, so she doesn’t know. I’ll… I’ll keep her out of it…” Magnolia feels a bit bad, but her priorities are on her granddaughter, and always have been. She’s willing to help Leon out, but not at the expense of her Sonia. Rose was too dangerous for that.

“Thank you.” They lapse back into silence at that, Leon slowly composing himself.

After a while, conversation turns to catching up, moving to lighter topics so the two are in better moods when their two expected guests arrive. Leon eventually notices them leaning on the fence outside Magnolia’s home, and the two get up to go let them inside.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Raihan’s not expecting anyone, so when his doorbell rings in the middle of the afternoon, he’s startled. He gets up off his couch to answer the door, surprised to see his boyfriend there, with a suitcase in tow. “Leon?” Raihan’s eyebrows shoot up, eyeing his boyfriend with surprise.

“So, um, I know this is kind of sudden, but Rose gave me the week off. I know All Stars is coming up in a few weeks, and I thought, since we won’t get to spend much time together during that, that we should spend a bunch of time together now! While I have time off! But, um, please don't tell my family, because I kind of sort of promised them that the next time I had a break I’d go home…” Leon mumbles, a blush forming on his cheeks.

Raihan thinks he’s adorable. “So you want to come stay here? With me?” The answer is obviously yes, but Raihan likes to watch Leon squirm a bit.

“Yes? If that’s ok?” Leon sounds so unsure of himself, which is so unlike the Champion. It makes Raihan feel giddy he can cause such a state in the usually so composed man.

“Of course it’s ok, love. Come on in, let’s get you sorted, yeah? Then I’ve got plans for you,” Raihan purrs, grabbing Leon’s bag and hauling it inside. Leon’s blush grows darker, but he follows after Raihan quickly.

They barely make it to the bedroom before their clothes come off.

…

“So how’s little Hopkins doing?” Raihan asks as he flips a pancake.

“Fine, I think. Still no desire to enter the Gym Challenge, however. I’m hoping those new Pokémon might encourage him to join,” Leon replies, stirring more pancake mix, as that’s all Raihan is willing to trust him with doing in his kitchen.

“Oh yeah? How many have you got so far?” Raihan looks over his shoulder then, eyeing Leon with a raised eyebrow.

“Just the one. Managed to catch a Scorbunny with Sonia. She’s got him, now, as she wanted to study him, and that was the whole reason she agreed to come with me on the trip in the first place.” Leon smiles at him, though there’s a frustrated look in his eyes.

Raihan feels guilty. Leon had asked him to come with him on this trip, and Raihan had been unable to get the time off. So Leon had went with Sonia instead, leaving Raihan to hear about the trip now. It isn’t Raihan’s fault he was unable to go, they both know that, but it doesn’t stop Raihan’s guilt. “Sorry I couldn’t make it, again,” he mumbles, removing the pancakes from the pan.

He gestures for Leon to pass him the mix so he can pour out more pancakes. “It’s not your fault, we’ll have the chance to go still before All Stars,” Leon promises, handing Raihan the bowl and letting their hands touch briefly.

“Yeah,” Raihan agrees, taking the bowl and pouring more mix into the pan. They have a lot of pancakes to make for a lot of hungry Pokémon, after all. That’s the problem with being a pro Trainer, and having so many strong Pokémon. Leon throws the cooked pancakes into the oven with the rest to keep warm, then begins mixing more pancake mix together in the bowl under the watchful eye of Raihan.

After cooking up all the pancakes they’d need for the two of them plus all their Pokémon, the two take most of the pancakes out to the Pokémon to dole them out. Once finished, they finally sit down to eat themselves. “These are good,” Leon comments with his mouth full, and Raihan laughs.

“Of course they are, _I_ cooked them!” Raihan brags, then leans forward and steals the bite off Leon’s fork.

“Hey!” Leon acts offended, and goes to steal a whole pancake off Raihan’s plate. This devolves into the two of them fighting over the food on their plates, stealing from each other and laughing all the while.

…

“And that’s why I let him go, because there was no way Charizard was going to get along with him!” Leon laughs as he finishes telling the story, and Raihan gives his hand a squeeze. Out here, with the snow peacefully falling against the stark backdrop of Hammerlocke’s dark brickwork, the two men walk to the Vault, hand in gloved hand and bundled up in winter gear.

“You made the right call, raising a Hydreigon is no easy task!” Raihan leans into Leon and bumps his shoulder against the man, giving him a smile as Leon looks up to catch his eye.

Leon squeezes his hand back as he gives Raihan a soft look that sends his heart racing. “Maybe I should have saved it as a gift for you,” he whispers huskily, golden eyes sparkling.

Raihan’s heart almost stops. “Yeah, that would have been nice.” He doesn’t need another Pokémon on his team, and he’s not sure how a Hydreigon would fit, either, but if it was a gift from Leon? He’d happily work the beast into his formidable team.

Raihan’s so distracted by the beautiful look Leon is giving him that he slips on a patch of ice. Losing his balance, he tips forward, shooting his hands out to try and catch himself. He crashes face first into a snow bank, getting a mouthful of the fluffy white coldness.

Too late he realizes that in ripping his hands forward to catch himself, he’s pulled Leon off his feet too, and Leon falls over on top of Raihan, winding the man. Leon grunts from the impact, before rolling off Raihan with a laugh. Soon, once recovered from being winded, Raihan’s joining in with the laughter, realizing how ridiculous this whole situation is.

The two men lay there in the snow bank, oblivious to the looks of strangers. Raihan’s thankful it’s winter, as with all their snow gear on, it’s impossible to recognize them. Leon sits up then, blocking Raihan’s vision of the people walking by. There’s a light dancing in his eyes, the molten gold sending Raihan’s heart racing. He leans down then, stealing a kiss off Raihan’s unprepared lips.

It doesn’t take him long to start kissing back, wrapping his arms around Leon and pulling himself up into the kiss. They don’t kiss long, beginning to get cold, and remembering where they were supposed to be heading. Leon gets up and offers his hand to Raihan to help him up.

Only, when Raihan tugs on Leon’s arm to pull himself up, Leon isn’t fully prepared for it, and falls forward into Raihan again. The two men look at each other for a moment, Raihan staring down at the heap of Leon in his lap, and Leon looking up at him through his bangs. Then, the two simultaneously break into laughter, and manage to get to their feet together after some work. Grabbing hands again, Raihan turns them back in the correct direction to the Vault, and they head off.

…

“I can’t believe you kicked my arse _four_ times today!” Raihan complains as he cracks his beer, getting comfortable in the couch.

“Next time, don’t keep challenging me to rematches if you don’t want to lose so many times!” Leon shoots back, before taking a swig from his own beer. He leans into Raihan as he scrolls down the movie list with the TV remote, looking for something interesting for the two men to put on to wind down for the night.

Raihan watches him rather than the screen, reaching over to tuck a piece of hair behind Leon’s ear. “But seeing you on the pitch like that is one of my favourite things! You look so sexy when you’re concentrating!” Raihan wails with a sly grin, his arms snaking around his partner’s waist.

“Uh,” Leon stalls, a blush crawling across his cheeks. “Hey, what about this action one?” He asks, changing the topic.

“Sure, whatever is fine, love. I’m mostly gonna snog with you the whole time, anyway,” Raihan remarks casually, shrugging as he leans in and plants a kiss against Leon’s neck.

Leon shivers against him, put hits play on the movie before tossing the remote to the side. Then he turns to Raihan, planting his lips against his lover’s. Raihan moves his hands to tangle in Leon’s hair, as Leon’s own trail up and down his back. Their lips move together, tongues soon dancing in their mouths as neither pays any attention to the movie ahead of them.

At some point they stop so Leon can rest his head against Raihan’s shoulder. Raihan is thankful his boyfriend is shorter, so they can do cute things like this. Raihan pets his head, hand trailing through his hair with the motion. It seems to relax Leon, as soon Raihan’s hearing his soft snoring over the quiet sounds of the intense scene currently going on. Raihan turns the volume down before the action picks up again to let his boyfriend sleep.

The two stay on the couch the whole night, cuddled together. They both wake up sore in the morning as a result.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“So where are we, exactly? You’ve mentioned a few locations here, where are we?” The girl in the bed asks, as the boy stretches for a break.

“Hammerlocke. You were found in the mountains not too far from here,” the man explains, dropping his feet to the floor as he stands and stretches. “Do you want to stretch also? I can help you up,” he offers, holding out his hand.

The girl takes it, and he helps her from her bed. She stretches her legs and walks a few paces around the room before the man helps her back into her bed. “Who found me?” She asks as she pulls the blanket back over her legs.

“I did.” The man moves back over to his chair, crashing back into it with a loud sigh.

“How? How did you find me? I was in the middle of nowhere, with nothing around. Nothing remarkable, just endless forest around me. How did you know where to look?” She sounds confused and worried, but the man brushes her off.

“It’s complicated, but I remembered?” His voice raises at the end like it’s a question, or like he’s unsure.

“Remembered? What do you mean?” She demands, her eyebrows pulling down with concern.

The man groans, “I’ll get to that, I promise, but there’s a lot I have to tell you first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't know if I like this here at this point in the story, but if I don't post it now I'll forget that I didn't post it. Guess it's fine though, I likely won't get that next chapter done any time soon so I might as well post chapters two days in a row again, why not? It doesn't really matter the order in the end anyways as this happened in the past. Thank you for reading, thank you for supporting me.  
> Yes I ship everyone with everyone I'm sorry I had to throw the Raihan/Piers ship in here I'm not sorry at all.  
> This legit just makes me want to jump ahead and start writing the dark stuff already I'm so impatient augh.  
> This was mostly written while watching the hockey game at my parent's place and not paying full attention to anything so I am so sorry for the mistakes.  
> Actually nevermind I like where this is now. It's an interlude after every 5 chapters and now I want to make this A Thing I Do From Now On and I don't know how I feel about that.


	14. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I hit the fortold three in a row.  
> I'm on discord as MightyMage#8983 if you would like to chat or if you want me to make you Pokémon with my brand new hacked switch. Idk what other platforms do people use now?  
> I wrote this instead of being productive today go me.  
> This is the THIRD TIME I'm trying to submit this chapter AO3 please  
> EDIT: I did a dumb and left out the entire part about shinies, so I have added it in now. I'm sorry I cannot read my own notes they're too chaotic.

By the time you and Leon reach Wedgehurst, both your Pokémon are exhausted. Leon’s Sobble is too, but Leon has recalled him. You are carrying both of your tired partners in your arms, despite Leon’s objections. Leon attempts to lead the two of you to the Center, which ends up you leading him using a combination of the undetailed map on your phone and your memory.

When you get to the Center, Hop is already inside. He’s on his phone on a waiting bench, likely waiting for his Pokémon to be healed. You notice he’s got his sleeve rolled up and a bandage wrapped around his left arm. “Hop!” Leon calls, and he looks up before grinning and waving.

“I was beginning to think you guys got lost,” Hop answers as he gets up. Leon’s still walking up to the counter, so you follow as Hop joins you there.

“We almost did,” You reply as a nurse sets a tray down on the counter for you to put your Pokémon on. Leon adds Sobble’s Pokéball in one of the indents for Pokéballs.

“Woah, you got a second Pokémon?” Hop seems to finally notice your Rookidee.

“Yep! I found him on the way back. He’s so pretty, and he gets along well with Scorbunny.” You pat his head once before the nurse takes the tray with a promise to take good care of your Pokémon.

“What happened to your arm there?” Leon cuts in, and he sounds amused.

“Oh, right, my Rookidee tried to land on my arm in the middle of a fight with another Pokémon. My arm was the tragic victim of that clash.” Hop grimaces, holding out his arm and looking at it.

Leon tries to contain the spurt of laughter that comes out of him using his hand, but it hardly works. You’d seen Hop get injured a few times while fighting wild Pokémon with Wooloo earlier in your stay, Wooloo often missing what he was aiming for and rolling into Hop. You guess injuries like this are a regular occurrence for Hop.

“Sounds painful,” you offer sympathetically, patting his arm gently, well above the bandages. You turn to Leon. “And you find it funny.”

“Hop was bragging to me last night about how these injuries totally didn’t happen anymore because his Pokémon were so well trained. After the fuss he made about it last night, I’m finding it entertaining to see this.” Leon gestures to Hop’s arm, and Hop casts his brother a glare. You also can’t help the spurt of laughter that comes out of you now, and Hop’s glare is turned your way.

“My dude, I’ve seen you get tackled by Wooloo how many times? No one was gonna buy that tale.” You side with Leon, and Hop groans. Leon laughs more before straightening himself out when a fan comes over to ask for an autograph.

After that, Leon gestures for you and Hop to follow him, and he heads behind a door marked `Employees Only’. “Are we allowed to be back here?” You ask as Leon turns back and forth likes he’s lost.

“Lee, it’s left,” Hop says as he pushes forward to lead. “And yeah, there’s a waiting room back here where people can stay if they want some peace and quiet.”

“And as Champion, I’m allowed to use it,” Leon finishes, and you roll your eyes. You’re still not used to his boasting. Hop leads you all through the correct door, and crashes on one of the couches. Leon leans against a wall. “Centers are great. You two should use them as often as you can on your journey, they’re free to access,” Leon explains, looking at you, so you’re assuming this is for your benefit.

“I know, Hop explained it to me yesterday.” You laugh at the small “oh” Leon offers at that as he deflates slightly. A nurse comes into the room with yours and Leon’s Pokémon. Scorbunny hops around the room while Rookidee lands on your shoulder. Leon takes his Pokéball back, tucking it into his pocket.

The nurse turns to Hop, “We’re still treating your Pokémon. I’ll bring her here when we’re done.” She explains before turning and leaving. Hop sighs, and Leon turns to look at Hop with a worried expression.

“What happened?” He asks, and you move to sit down on the couch beside Hop.

“Well, when that wild Pokémon hit Rookidee when she was trying to land on my arm, it kinda crushed her wing, it hurt her pretty badly. The doctor explained earlier to me that it could take them a while to heal her up,” Hop explains, and now both you and Leon feel bad for laughing earlier.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Hop,” you offer, but Hop waves his hand at you.

“No, it was entirely my fault. I should have recalled her. She was scared and just trying to get away, and I was pushing her to keep fighting.” Hop pulls his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around them, looking down into his lap.

Leon sighs and shakes his head, “At least she’ll be alright. I hope this is a lesson to you to listen to your Pokémon and respect their limits.” Leon sounds more disappointed than angry, and you think that might almost be worse on Hop.

Hop just nods. Silence lapses as no one is sure what to say now, until Hop is pulled out of his misery by his curiosity for your new Pokémon. “So how did you get him? You gotta tell me the whole tale. And why’s he yellow and glittery?” Hop sits up, reaching out to let your Rookidee see his hand.

Rookidee lets Hop pet him as you begin your tale. “He just let you hug him? Just like that? Friendly bugger ain’t he?” Hop asks when you’re finished, petting Rookidee again as he chirps happily.

You laugh, “Yeah, he could sense that I really wanted him to join me.” Hop nods at your conclusion, and before he can comment further, the door opens and the nurse returns. Hop is quickly up and in front of the nurse before she’s fully through the door.

“Your Rookidee is all healed up, thank you for your patience.” The nurse hands Hop a Pokéball, and Hop thanks her. You and Leon stand and join Hop.

“Come on, let’s go get some lunch, I’m starving.” Leon squeezes Hop’s shoulder comfortingly, and Hop grins. You all agree to go eat lunch, and you all head to the one of the restaurants Hop and Leon like.

Three days later, Leon tells you and Hop that your Wishing Stars are ready. You all head out with the intention of being home just after sundown. When the group of you arrives at Professor Magnolia’s house, she’s outside watering plants. “Welcome, come inside and I’ll go fetch those bands.” You all follow her inside, and you’re wondering what she meant by bands.

Sonia is in the kitchen cooking something, and she greets you all when you come in. “Am I making enough for everyone?” She asks, and Leon enthusiastically agrees. “Oh, Hop and Kieran, is it true you really met some Pokémon you didn’t recognize? Is there anything more you can tell me about it?”

“Er, well, there was this weird heavy fog, and then this even weirder Pokémon appeared… Kieran and I both tried to fight it off, but then I think we both passed out or something. It’s all pretty hazy.” Hop puts his arms behind his head as he tries to explain what he remembers.

“A right fount of information you are,” Sonia retorts, turning back to the stove to continue cooking.

“When we were fighting it, our attacks passed right through it. And I saw one that looked similar when I first woke up here in the Slumbering Weald. It lead me out of the forest then.” You try to fill in more for her. “They looked like tall, four legged beasts.” Hop nods along with your description.

“Two? You sure it wasn’t the same one?” Sonia asks, and you nod.

“The one I saw first was blue, the one Hop and I saw was red.”

“Huh, I wonder what Pokémon they are. I’ll have to go investigate it one of these days,” Sonia replies, getting dishes ready for the food.

“I’ve gone in and looked around for Pokémon like that, but I couldn’t find any,” Leon explains, moving to help Sonia get enough dishes for all the people and Pokémon.

“I bet you only managed to walk in circles near the entrance, I don’t trust your investigation skills at all.” Sonia points a spatula at Leon as she talks, and the two begin to bicker as Magnolia enters the room holding a box.

“Kieran, Hop, these are for you.” She sets the box on the table and lifts the lid. Inside are two bands that look like the one Leon wears. Magnolia shows you two how to put them on as she explains what they are. “These are Dynamax bands. I made them by fitting the Wishing Stars you found the other day into those bands.”

“Thank you,” you politely reply.

“Thanks, Professor. This is brilliant! It’s just like the one Lee has on him, too. Now we can Dynamax our Pokémon like he does!” Hop is gesturing wildly, as usual, and you can’t help but be filled with excitement at the idea of your Pokémon becoming so big and powerful. You look to your two Pokémon and also feel slight fear of what it would really be like to be near such giant, strong creatures.

“My word, you don’t waste any time, do you?” Magnolia shakes her head gently. “I think you’ll find it’s not so simple as that. There are a number of conditions you must meet if you hope to have your Pokémon Dynamax and take on that gigantic form. I encourage you both to make sure you understand it before you go attempting anything.”

You nod, and Hop grins and crosses his arms. “The legend of my reign is finally about to begin!” Hop looks like he’s about to charge off before Sonia cuts in.

“Not without some food it’s not!” Sonia shouts, and Hop jumps, a guilty look on his face.

Lunch is delicious, and as you bring Rookidee out of his ball to enjoy some lunch too, you’re reminded to ask the Professor about him. “Oh, Professor, I have a question. Do you know why my Rookidee looks like this?” You hold your Rookidee up for her to see, and she gasps.

“Oh my, I’ve never seen a Rookidee like that before! I believe you might have just found a rare colour variant! I don’t know much about them myself, but I believe Professor Elm from Johto has done a lot of research into them. I’ll get a hold of him and see what he thinks. Sonia, dear, take a photo of him for me, would you?” Magnolia gets up to come get a better look at him, and Sonia pulls out her phone to oblige her grandmother. Magnolia also plucks one feather from him, apologizing to him when he cries out.

So shinies do exist? “Do these colour variants exist for other types of Pokémon?” You ask, and Magnolia nods.

“That’s right. There’s many Pokémon with documented colour variants, and there’s a database that’s kept up by someone online. I once saw an Arrokuda with a colour variant in that very lake out there, that was many years ago, before I knew anything about them.” Magnolia gestures out the window to point at the lake. “I’m sure you can find more online, as well.”

“And they’re called colour variants?” You ask, so you can search for information.

“Oh, I’m not sure their official name, I’m afraid I don’t remember it.” Magnolia moves to sit back down, and lunch resumes. You search up these colour variants, and indeed, they’re called Shiny Pokémon. You were right, shinies exist. The database is easily enough found, and it’s maintained by someone named Bill. You wonder if it’s the same Bill from the Pokémon games.

Lunch wraps up as you take a picture of Rookidee yourself to submit to this database. Magnolia is excited to get in touch with Professor Elm about Shiny Pokémon, now that you’ve reminded her the name. Leon insists you all head out once you’ve helped clean up so you can make it home in time.

You and Hop train your Pokémon, along with Leon’s Sobble, on the way back home. You and Hop spend the next few days preparing for the opening ceremonies of the gym challenge. There’s a lot you need to pack, and you’re not sure how you’re possibly going to fit it all into your bag.

Margret offers you Leon’s old camping set from when he did his gym challenge, as she hasn’t had the chance to go pick up a new set for you. “It should last you, but if it doesn’t, you let me know and I’ll send you some money so you can buy a new set,” She offers as she hands you a kit of camping equipment.

When you go to put all the things you need into your bag, you find they magically all fit, with room to spare. The bag is heavy, though, so it still weighs like everything is in there. You’re not sure how this weird bag magic works, and when you bring it up with Hop, he seems confused. “Don’t your bags do that where you come from?”

“No. You can only put as much in them as their size allows, because my world has rules that make sense,” You complain while the two of you shop for your groceries.

Hop laughs, and it’s only a couple days before you two are ready to take off. Leon leaves a day before the two of you, as he has work to do as Champion to prepare for the gym challenge, and your ID to pick up. You and Hop see him off at the station in Wedgehurst, and he hugs both of you goodbye.

There are 5 days until opening ceremonies start in Motostoke when you and Hop set out at the station. Margret comes to see you off, and do a final check to make sure Hop packed everything. She checks yours too at your request, which makes Hop feel less embarrassed about it. The goal is to get to Motostoke and register, then get some training in where there will be many more trainers to battle against. It’s Hop’s idea, and it’s Leon approved as he’ll be in Motostoke the entire time.

“There’s no need to worry Mum, I’m going to become the next Champion! You’ll be the first mother of two Champions!” Hop brags, and you shake your head at him.

“I worry about Leon all the time, whether you become Champion or not I will always worry about you too,” Margret replies, hugging her son goodbye.

Hop’s chattering on about how excited he is as the two of you board the train. You’re heading straight to Motostoke, and it’s going to be a few hours on the train. You’re beginning to see why Leon rarely makes it home. Hop talks about Motostoke and the area and all the things there are to do, showing you pictures from his phone occasionally. The ride seems awfully short, and the train pulls to a stop in a station.

An announcement plays as you and Hop walk into the station with other passengers, “Attention passengers, the train is currently halted due to a flock of Wooloo on the tracks. Please be patient, train service will resume as soon as possible.”

“That means we’re at the Wild Area stop. This is brilliant!” Hop exclaims, turning to you.

“Brilliant? Why?” You ask, adjusting Scorbunny in your arms as he wants to hop around but there are too many people milling about.

“Well the Wild Area is massive! There are tons of Pokémon out there, we can put together a great, strong team for the gym challenge! Plus, tons of opportunity to practice. Come on!” Hop grabs your arm, and leads you out of the station. Scorbunny cheers at the prospect of adventure.

Arriving outside, you let Scorbunny down and take a look around you. In front of you is a vast expanse of fields, forests, and a large lake you can just make out over a hill in the distance. Way far out, just over the horizon, you can see what appears to be the top of a clock tower.

“That’s Motostoke’s clock tower you can see in the distance,” Hop points at the clock. “All we have to do is head straight north to make it to Motostoke. We’ll have to camp out, of course, it’s too far to walk in one day.” Hop explains, and you nod as you take in the scenery. It oddly reminds you of home, the kind of terrain you’re used to spending all summer seeing. You feel a pang of homesickness hit you at the reminder of your family and the trips you’d take.

“Good thing I have a lot of experience,” you don’t mean for it to sound as monotone as it comes out, and Hop gives you a look.

“You alright mate?” He asks, crossing his arms. You nod, not wanting to worry him unnecessarily. “Then are you ready to head off on the adventure of a lifetime? Oh yeah, my tale is just getting started! Let’s go!”

As Hop charges towards the gate, you can’t help the bad feeling in your stomach you get about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you as always for reading! I feel like we're finally starting to get somewhere plot-wise now, and I can't wait for the next few chapters.  
> I've done all my word vomit in other chapter's notes already idk I'm tired and not doing well and using writing as an escape my life is a trainwreck.  
> Thanks for the comments they really keep me going <3  
> I didn't even mean for this chapter to have an injury in it. This wasn't the one I meant though this one kinda happened completely unplanned, like a solid 80% of my work always is. This one is minor the next chapter has the bad injury.  
> I've caught up to myself in Shield so I guess I have to go play it now and make more notes.  
> The next chapter is the wild area chapter and I've been so excited to write this chapter since I started. This next chapter is the reason I started making this story, these events are where the roots of my planning began. Literally hyped so I'm gonna try to have this one out for tomorrow.


	15. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Death mention, slightly graphic description of an injury
> 
> I can't believe I finished this so early and that I'm already on the next one. I'm setting myself up for another super productive day lol

There’s an immediate problem to Hop’s plan: you can’t enter the Wild Area until you have 3 gym badges, or you’re accompanied by someone who’s completed the gym challenge.

“I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do. You’ll have to wait for the train like everyone else.” The attendant manning the gate has explained to you both this upsetting news, and Hop is clearly bummed out.

“Aw man, I was really looking forward to this! Nothing to be done about it, I suppose,” Hop grumbles as the two of you begin the short walk back to the station.

“Why is that a rule?” You ask as you get Scorbunny back in your arms in preparation for entering the station.

“The Wild Area is full of wild Pokémon, strong ones, so if you go out there unprepared you can get hurt. That’s probably why, anyways.” Hop tries his best to explain, and you chuckle at his attempt.

“I guess that would make sense,” you reply as the two of you look for seating in the station.

“Well if it isn’t Hop and Kieran!” You hear a familiar voice call and the two of you turn to see Sonia walking up to you, Yamper at her heels.

“Sonia! What are you doing here?” Hop asks as she joins the two of you.

Sonia twirls a lock of her hair in her fingers, “Well, my Gran gave me a proper earful, in her own way…” Sonia starts, looking frustrated. She pitches her voice to mimic her grandmother, “Those two young trainers are setting out on a journey, but what are you doing with your life?” Her voice sounds nothing like Magnolia’s, but it’s a funny attempt despite the painful message.

“Ouch, Sonia,” Hop offers.

“That sounds rough.” You frown.

Sonia sighs. “I still haven’t picked a thesis, and I’ve been her assistant for years now. I know she just wants to see me succeed, but she’s not a very gentle coach. So I’m doing some research of my own now. I’m looking into those mysterious Pokémon you two mentioned, but I didn’t have any luck finding them on my trips to the Slumbering Weald. So I’m off to find some clues, and who knows? If I discover something really huge, then maybe even Gran’ll admit I’ve got some talent!”

“Yikes, that still sounds rough,” Hop replies, “Where are you off to then?”

“Motostoke, then I’m not sure from there. Honestly, I’m using this as an excuse to get some time away from Gran too. And it’s been a while since I’ve gone to see some of my friends, maybe I’ll even stop by Turffield and Hulbury,” Sonia continues.

“It sounds like you need the break.” You give her a sympathetic look.

“I really do. Honestly, it’s been ages since I’ve been on the road. I’m actually looking forward to it. I haven’t gone camping in ages. Enough about me though, are you two off to opening ceremonies?” Sonia taps a finger against her chin while looking between you two.

“You bet! But the train’s delayed. We were going to go through the Wild Area, but you need 3 badges now to enter,” Hop explains remorsefully, looking towards the door.

“They changed that a few years ago after that group of kids died out there, don’t you remember?” Sonia shakes her head. “No matter, I could take you both.”

“You could?!” Hop’s earlier disappointment is gone completely to be replaced by his usual excitement.

“I did finish my gym challenge, or did you forget that too?” Sonia teases dryly, and Hop lets out an embarrassed laugh.

“Alright, the tale of my legend can continue!” Hop exclaims, and you and Sonia share a look of amusement between yourselves.

“Yes yes mister future champ, let’s go get us sorted then.” Sonia leads the three of you outside. “This is called the meeting area. If anything bad happens to you out there I want you to try to head back here, as there’s cell service here. Once you’re out in the Wild Area, you’re going to lose service. It’s about a two days trip to walk to Motostoke, but there’s a store here we can stock up on some food at.” Sonia is pointing things out as she explains, and you’re paying close attention. “You both have camping gear?”

“Yep!” Hop speaks for both of you, and you nod.

“Good. We shouldn’t need much if it’s just two days. But I always get extra, just in case.” You all get some food for your trip through the Wild Area, and Sonia is granted permission to bring the two of you with her into the Wild Area.

“Oh yeah, I’m so pumped! I want to fight a Dynamax Pokémon out here!” Hop can hardly keep still, and it’s clear he wants to run ahead.

“Well don’t, not alone. You couldn’t take one on your own. The three of us can try to take one on together, I should be able to keep both of you safe.” Sonia attempts to grab the back of the collar of Hop’s jacket to keep him from tearing off, but Hop still manages to tear out of her grip.

“Then I’m going to go train and explore! Come on, Wooloo!” Hop tosses a Pokéball out, and Wooloo appears in front of him. The two go charging off, despite Sonia’s protests.

“Wait! Hop! Get back here! Kieran, don’t go too far, I’ll be back!” Sonia looks panicked, so you just nod as she and Yamper run after Hop. You figure if you keep the meeting area nearby that should be fine. You let Rookidee out and he joins you and Scorbunny as you wander into the Wild Area.

It feels so massive out here, and there are so many different kinds of Pokémon. You recognize a few bug Pokémon, like Combee and Metapod, and a few others as well, like Bunnelby and Minccino. Most leave you alone as you walk through, though a few brave ones come up and challenge you as you walk by. Scorbunny and Rookidee have a bit more trouble with the Pokémon you encounter here, but all your training together over the last few days leaves you all with a strong idea of what to do in most situations. These wild Pokémon are clearly stronger than the ones around Postwick and Wedgehurst, but Scorbunny and Rookidee still seem to be handling them fine, so you aren’t too worried. Well, you’re less worried. You’ve still got what Sonia mentioned – kids dying out here – in the back of your mind.

The weather is clear, and it’s easy to get caught up in the beauty of the nature surrounding you. If you close your eyes, you can almost imagine being home. You’re heading northwest, and you make sure to double check this before heading that way. You want to be sure you always know where the meeting area is so you don’t get lost before Sonia gets back.

You hear a loud roar of a Pokémon from ahead, and it sounds big. As you pass some trees, you manage to get a glimpse of what made the sound through a gap in the foliage. It’s an Onix, and it’s massive. Pokémon have a much different scale in real life compared to the video games, so encountering a Pokémon like Onix for the first time is something else. You’re a little intimidated as you walk out into the clearing ahead. Onix is still a ways off, you could turn back and head in a different direction – it hasn’t noticed you yet.

Scorbunny and Rookidee are both ready for the challenge though, and you nod to them. You’re pretty confident you three can do this. So you walk up to the Onix, and when it sees you, it starts coming towards you. You instruct Rookidee to distract it while Scorbunny runs around behind it to try to climb its body. _It’s a Rock-Ground-type, so no Fire or Flying moves. Stick with- wait, Normal moves won’t work either._ Scorbunny only knows Normal and Fire moves, and Rookidee only knows Normal and Flying moves. None of them are going to do much damage, and you’re suddenly worried about how this will go. This Onix likely knows Rock moves, and those are going to hurt both your partners.

_Ok, new plan, use the Fire and Flying moves regardless._ You instruct when both Pokémon are unsure what to do. Rookidee lands a Peck on the Onix’s face, but the Onix counters this with slamming its head into Rookidee’s tiny body, sending him down into the ground. Scorbunny has managed to climb the Onix, and gets a good kick on his head.

The Onix barely seems to feel it.

You realize you’re in trouble the same time Scorbunny is thrown from the Onix when it slams its head into the ground. Rookidee barely manages to fly out of the way before the Onix hits him.

You’re looking for an exit strategy, but the Onix moves faster than you can run. You’re trying to stay out of the way too, as the Onix keeps coming after you with its tail.

Genuine fear fills you, and you are beginning to understand why you and Hop were not allowed here. You are not ready for this. And you may die.

You’re focused on dodging and defense right now; there’s no point to offense. Your moves glance right off it, and all it does is get your Pokémon in range to be hit by the Onix. However, even with your bond, your Pokémon can’t dodge every attack, and your Pokémon continue to lose strength while you try to edge closer to the trees to attempt an escape.

Rookidee is the first to go down after a particularly nasty hit by a large rock the Onix flings at him. There’s no way he could have dodged it, so you quickly dig out his Pokéball and recall the unconscious Pokémon, hoping he’s ok. Even Scorbunny is afraid, for your sake, and he tries to distract Onix while you get a head start running.

It barely works, but the Onix manages to follow Scorbunny as he catches up to you. Scorbunny feels horrible for messing up, and you forgive him while the two of you run. The Onix is throwing rocks at you both as you turn into a mass of trees to try to lose it. One hits you, and you go tumbling over. It hurts like hell, and you’re momentarily stunned before Scorbunny is pulling on you and the adrenaline kicks back in and you’re standing up and running through the pain.

It’s not long before your lungs start to ache.

Soon after, even in the cover of trees with the Onix gaining on you, you feel your throat begin to clench; it’s hard to breathe. Scorbunny decides to take action, and turns around against your orders to try to buy you time. He heads right at the Onix and leaps up high, landing two kicks to the Onix about half way up its body.

This actually seems to do some damage, as the Onix reels back and roars in pain. A Normal move should not have done that much damage, and you quickly wrack your brain for a move type that would. _Fighting? Is that Double Kick? Keep using it, whatever it is!_ You instruct Scorbunny, but the Onix is angry after that and with a swing of his tail, sends Scorbunny flying clear past you.

“Scorbunny!” A screech leaves your throat as you run to his direction. He’s barely conscious, and you quickly scoop him in your arms as the Onix continues to give chase. It’s even harder to run while carrying Scorbunny, but you don’t have the hands to dig out his ball even if you wanted to put him in it. With the Onix so close, you’re beginning to believe you’re not going to make it through this.

“Yamper, use Dig!” You hear the voice of the exact person you were hoping would come find you. Yamper springs out of the ground directly below the Onix, toppling it over. “Now send him packing with Play Rough!” Yamper launches himself at the downed Onix, and it wails in pain. Yamper then leaps off and lands near Sonia. You barely make it to Sonia before collapsing over, Sonia catching you as you fall. The Onix gets up and runs off, Yamper standing guard to make sure it leaves.

“What were you thinking?!” Sonia shouts at you, and you immediately begin sobbing. Relief floods you as you realize you’re safe, Sonia holding you tightly to her despite the absolute berating she’s giving you. You see Hop standing a ways off when you look over Sonia’s shoulder. “You could have been killed! Your Pokémon could have been killed! I told you not to wander off and you go do this?! Are either of you two capable of listening at all?!” Sonia sounds livid, and you can feel her shaking.

She turns to glare at Hop, who looks away guiltily. “You see Hop, this is what I was talking about! This is what can happen out here! There are dangerous Pokémon out here that you two aren’t capable of handling on your own yet!” Sonia takes a deep breath. “And you!” She turns back to you. “Really, what in the world were you thinking? Why would you think you could take on an Onix?!”

Your sobbing, mixed with this asthma attack you’re having, is not making it easier to breathe. “I’m sorry.” You barely manage to choke it out, but there’s hardly any sound behind it. You keep repeating it as best you can through the sobs and gasps.

Sonia sighs, “You’ve been through enough, let’s get your injuries treated now.” Sonia’s tone is incredibly gentle now, and she rubs your back. “Come on, breathe with me, in… and out…” She instructs, and you do your best to follow. She rubs your back in the pattern she sets, and this helps calm you down. Hop has braved coming closer, and has taken Scorbunny from you to spray with a potion.

Once you’ve calmed down enough, your breathing returns to a semi normal state. You’re still wheezing, but you feel like you are at least getting air again. Sonia pulls out her first aid kid and begins to clean and bandage your injuries. You’ve got a blow to the head from the tumble you took that’s bleeding down the side of your face, and that rock had hit you from your back down to your left leg. You have a big gash down your right leg that you’d got while running through the forest. Once finished, she helps you to your feet and wraps an arm around your torso, instructing you to wrap your arm around her shoulders so she can aid you in walking.

“Let’s go find a safe place to rest, and I’ll cook us some lunch. Yamper, scout ahead for me, please.” Yamper barks in acknowledgement before running off. Hop carries Scorbunny for you, as even in his injured and tired state, Scorbunny does not want to go back in his ball. You slowly limp along, but Sonia and Hop stay at your pace.

Yamper finds a nice clearing for you all, and Sonia gently lowers you to the ground in the middle of it. “Now, I think you and your Pokémon should set up camp here and get some rest to recover from what happened. I’ll handle the curry, I know a few good recipes using berries that will heal you up and help you feel better.” Sonia begins rummaging in her bag for her cooking supplies. “Hop, help her out, will you?”

“Right,” Hop says and he helps you dig the camping gear out of your bag. In the end, he’s the one trying to set it up alone, as you can’t really stand up to help him. “Uh, Sonia, a little help?” Hop calls as he tries to get that rickety old set to stand properly.

“Is that Leon’s old camping gear? Wow, it’s just as bad as I remembered. Here- you’re doing it wrong, you have to put the poles up after or the tarp won’t fit over them,” Sonia instructs, and you pay careful attention so you can remember how to properly set up this well used set.

With Sonia’s help, the tent doesn’t take long to set up at all. Sonia begins cooking while Hop lets his Pokémon out. Sonia’s set up the pot near you, so you’re able to watch her cook and see what she does. You let Rookidee out when lunch is ready, and he’s recovered enough that he can be fed, but he’s too weak to move on his own. Sonia takes care of feeding him while you help Scorbunny eat his food. The curry really does make you feel better, and you notice it makes Scorbunny and Rookidee feel better as well.

You and your Pokémon are incredibly tired after the meal, however, just as Sonia thought you would be. Sonia helps all three of you into your tent, and lowers you onto the bedroll. “Are we going to set up camp here too Sonia?” Hop asks from outside.

“No, it’s still early. You wanted to go fight a Dynamax Pokémon, didn’t you? We can go do that while Kieran rests, and then come back here when we’re done.” Sonia replies. “Would you be ok with that? You’re in a safe area here, and wild Pokémon generally leave tents alone when they aren’t in their way. You’ll be fine here.”

You nod, “Yeah, if I’m safe, then I’ll just sleep. Thank you, Sonia. I’m so sorry about the Onix. I thought- well, all three of us thought that we could take it, because the other wild Pokémon in the area hadn’t really been a problem. I didn’t realize it would be so much stronger.”

Sonia sighed, “Wild Pokémon the size of your Pokémon are one thing, what made you think you could take on something as big and powerful as an Onix?”

You wanted to tell her about the games, and how they never threw anything at you that you couldn’t handle. You hadn’t expected to _not_ be able to handle it, really. You’d at least thought you’d be able to get away safely, and you hadn’t prepared for reality at all. But instead, “Overconfidence,” is the simple explanation you offer her.

“At least this lesson wasn’t too costly, none of you got seriously injured. Some rest and you and your Pokémon should be fine.” Sonia states gently, climbing out of the tent. “Ready to go, Hop?”

They leave, and you sink into the bedroll, Scorbunny crawling into your arms as soon as you are settled. Rookidee has fallen asleep at the end of the bedroll already, so you carefully adjust your feet around him. It doesn’t take long for sleep to claim you.

By the time you wake up, the sun is setting. You use it to get a sense of your directions. Sonia and Hop aren’t back yet it seems, but your stomach can’t wait for them. It growls loudly as you pull your cooking supplies out and start preparing a supper for you and your Pokémon. Scorbunny helps you get the fire going, and you manage to cook up a passable curry following Sonia’s earlier instructions.

When you’re all finished and cleaned up, the stars are out, and there’s still no sign of Sonia or Hop. You pull out your Rotom phone to see if they’ve left any messages, only for the ‘No Service’ message on your screen to remind you that you don’t currently have a way to contact them.

You look around, noting in the dark which way Motostoke is. You wonder if you can catch up to them in the dark; you don’t happen to have a torch in your kit, but Scorbunny is able to hold a small flame between his hands to help light the way. You carefully pack your tent back up, getting a ton of help from Rookidee and Scorbunny, as the whole thing feels like it could break if you do anything wrong.

You’ve made the decision to catch up to them in the dark. You’ve always had great eye sight in the dark, and there’s not a cloud in the sky and the moon is bright. With Scorbunny’s extra aid, you feel confident you can avoid the strong Pokémon and find Sonia and Hop. Besides, most Pokémon should be sleeping right now, right?

It’s not long into your journey that you discover this is false. Even more Pokémon are awake at night it seems, and you’re mad at yourself for not figuring that out. The three of you travel more carefully, trying to evade Pokémon wherever possible. You still encounter some, and they’re strong, but your Pokémon are pulling through.

Things go wrong when Scorbunny steps on the tail of a sleeping Minccino as you’re walking next to a lake. The Minccino squeals in pain, and this attracts a lot of unwanted Pokémon attention. A group of Meowths, strange looking ones but you’re pretty sure they’re Meowths, attempts to surround you and your Pokémon. You instruct Scorbunny and Rookidee on attacking while dodging claw swipes from the odd Meowth that breaks through Scorbunny and Rookidee.

You’re holding out ok, but the noise of the battle is drawing other Pokémon in. Now you’ve got other Pokémon joining in, and it’s beginning to get too much for your Pokémon to handle. You get them to clear a gap north – you know if you run towards Motostoke you can at least hopefully find Hop and Sonia. The three of you are now on the run once more as you’re chased by a swarm of Pokémon. This was a stupid idea, how could you not have learned your lesson from earlier? Projectiles occasionally hit you, as you’re the bigger target, but you try not to let the pain slow you down. There’s enough Pokémon chasing you at this point that the three of you would be killed if you stopped.

Scorbunny and Rookidee are still fighting off the ones that get too close, Rookidee making good use of diving down in front of his opponents and digging his feet hard into the ground, spraying up sand and dirt that causes the Pokémon hit to lose accuracy in their aim. _We’ll call that one Sand Attack, good job Rookidee!_ You cheer your Pokémon on despite the fear you feel. You’re trying to remain positive that you’ll make it out of this, so your Pokémon remain positive and don’t give up.

Your lungs are holding out this time, but your Pokémon are getting tired. There’s a small forest ahead, and it may not have worked to lose the Onix but you’re hoping this time it works to lose the wild Pokémon swarm. It does help thin out the heard, but Rookidee has a harder time dodging with the extra foliage around. He gets nailed by a Stufful, tumbling to the ground. He doesn’t recover quickly enough before more Pokémon are on him, and you have to recall him.

It’s just you and Scorbunny now, and Scorbunny is keeping Pokémon off you both as best as he can. You manage to catch a small break when you fall painfully into a small nook between some tree roots. Your ankle hurts, but as Scorbunny hops down with you, no Pokémon immediately follow. You use the moment to dig a potion out of your bag for Scorbunny, and after you finish spraying him with it, he begins glowing.

He glows bright white, and it seems like his shape is changing. You wonder if this is what Pokémon evolution is – it looks like it could be. As the light dies down, you’re met with a completely different looking Pokémon. Scorbunny has doubled in height, his body is now black and red instead of white, and his ears have flopped over. There’s no time to pull out your phone and find out what his new evolution is called, however, as the light from his evolution has revealed your hiding spot. Your newly evolved partner jumps up out of the nook, his entire body becoming cloaked in flames as he charges into a group of Pokémon. _Flame Charge?_ You question, and your partner agrees with the move’s name.

You climb out carefully, as your ankle struggles to bear your weight. Your partner is buying you some time with this new move, but it’s costing him. Charging in like that means he’s taking a lot of hits. You manage to gain some distance, but it’s at a high price. Your partner takes a blow that knocks him unconscious, and you have to turn back to rescue him.

You manage to sneak close enough that you can just make him out through the trees, and you aim the ball’s laser at him. _I’m sorry, my friend,_ you apologize as you’re forced to recall him to save him. You hope he’ll forgive you later. You crouch down immediately after and slowly crawl further behind a tree. It seems the wild Pokémon aren’t sure where you went, as you hear them begin to scatter in search of you. Using the tree to aid you, you manage to stand and try to sneak away.

A snapped twig draws the attention of a Meowth that was close by, and you mentally curse as you realize you’ve not been watching where you’re stepping close enough. It charges at you, and you begin to limp run away. He catches up to you easily enough, and rakes his claws down your left leg. You scream in pain, and collapse on the ground. You look back to assess the damage to your leg, and the Meowth has badly torn up most of the back of your leg. There’s a lot of blood. Your minimal knowledge of first aid tells you this is bad enough you could bleed out from, and time seems to slow down. The Meowth seems to have been scared off by your scream, as it’s retreating.

You need to hide. You need to call for help. You need to make a tourniquet for your leg. Or you will die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had more fun writing this than I should have. Consider this a dramatic retelling of a true first trip through the wild area. Yeah I got stomped by that Onix. You know the one. I only found the warning note AFTER. Great game, Game Freak. Don't take my sarcasm the wrong way, I genuinely enjoyed getting absolutely destroyed by an Onix. And then destroyed by wild Pokémon while I tried to make a mad dash straight to Motostoke. I had such a great time because it was so hard and ridiculously out of my league. Like honestly, the wild area was so magical to me at first. It's legit what inspired me to begin forming stories around it. Those stories spun into this.  
> I'm just sad the wild area is so disappointing after you get over that initial excitement like there's nothing to do and it's so big but these big areas have all the same Pokémon until you go to the next big area and it doesn't feel like there's any point to exploring. THAT'S the part I was actually let down by. Wish there were more Pokémon in different random patches of grass throughout an area, and not just different big Pokémon walking around, so you had more of a reason to check out every nook and cranny to find new Pokémon. IDK I HAVE IDEAS Gamefreak hit me up I can make your wild area so much better.  
> Have fun with that cliffhanger folks, and thanks for reading! At 40,000 words this is officially the longest thing I've ever written. It truly makes me so happy that people enjoy it. Thank you for your support, and keep giving me concrit so I can improve and grow! I appreciate you all <3


	16. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: slightly graphic injury description
> 
> I guess I do daily updates now? I almost finished this yesterday, that would have been two in one day.

First is the tourniquet before you lose more blood. You pull your bag off, and grab the first piece of clothing your hand touches. You don’t even look at it before you’re tearing it into strips. You quickly tie them around your leg as tightly as you can. You barely register it above the pain of those cuts, anyways. Your hands are shaking as you tie the knots tight – you’re beginning to feel incredibly weak. It looks like that Meowth caught an artery behind your knee, and the cuts down your calf are so deep that it causes your leg to cave in a bit. The sight of it makes you want to vomit, so you quickly look away.

A wave of dizziness hits you, and you fight it. You can’t pass out yet, there are still things you need to do. You still need to hide. No Pokémon have found you yet, but you hear them. You drag yourself behind a nearby tree, tucking yourself into a large root and trying to make yourself as small as possible. This will have to do, as you don’t have the energy to move further.

You still have one more step. You reach into your pocket to pull out your phone before you realize, you won’t have service. You’re in the Wild Area still. A trembling hand with your phone clutched weakly in it slips out of your pocket and onto the ground, and you stare forlornly ahead. You don’t have the energy to drag yourself further. You’re going to pass out from blood loss eventually.

You’re not even sure which way north is now anyways. You’re dizzy and disoriented, and you can only see a small sliver of the sky through the trees. What you can see doesn’t help you pinpoint anything useful either. You’re thoroughly turned around in here. And it’s where you’re going to die, because Sonia and Hop don’t even know to be looking for you. How long have you been running? How far have you travelled? Would they even know where to look?

You take out your two Pokéballs and tuck them under the root; that should keep them safe if they stay in there until morning. Hopefully someone finds them, or they find Sonia and Hop. As long as they make it out of this, you think you can rest easily.

It sounds like the Pokémon chasing you aren’t getting much closer at least. Perhaps you’ll die from blood loss after all, and not from the large group of Pokémon angry with you. Your hand brushes against your fallen phone, and you pick it up off the ground. You’re not sure what you’re hoping to find, maybe look through the few photos and messages you’ve taken since you got here. You aren’t sure what to do with the time you have left, and you don’t know how you can save yourself now.

That adrenaline rush is gone, and you can barely keep your head up. You rest your phone against your still good knee and unlock it. Your eyes flick up to the corner with a silent prayer, hoping that ‘No Service’ message is gone.

Someone must have been listening, because there’s one tiny bar up there, indicating you have service. You must be just close enough to Motostoke to be within range. A single sob leaves you in relief.

You call the only person you can think to in this moment – Hop and Sonia won’t have service, after all. Leon doesn’t pick up, and it goes to voicemail, so you try again. You’re not sure if there’s an emergency number you could call, and in your panicked state of mind, you’re not sure how to find out either.

Leon picks up the second time you call. “What? What time is it? Who is this?” Leon’s low, raspy voice answers.

“I need help. I-it’s real bad. I,” you hiccup, “I think I m-might die out here.” Your voice is unsteady and weak, and you try to keep quiet enough to not attract the attention of the Pokémon still searching for you.

“Kieran? What’s going on? Where are you?” Leon sounds immediately more awake, and you can hear background noise like he’s suddenly gotten up.

“I-I’m in the Wild Area, outside Mo-Motostoke. I’m in a f-f-forest south of Motostoke, n-not far from a l-lake.” You try your best to describe where you are for Leon. “Both my Pokémon are un,” another hiccup “unconscious, and I’m r-really badly injured. I think I might b-bleed out.”

“What are you doing in the- nevermind that’s not important right now. I’m on my way. Stay on the line for me, alright?” Leon instructs.

“Ok,” you whisper into your phone, feeling exhaustion sink into your bones. Help is on the way. You can make it out of here. You just have to hang in there until Leon finds you.

“Try to stay conscious for me, have you applied pressure to the wound?” Leon asks, then it sounds like he covers the mic and yells, “Charizard, let’s go! We have an emergency!”

“I made a t-tourniquet,” you softly reply, your voice straining.

“Good.” Leon’s reply sounds washed out, and you begin hearing a lot of loud background noise that you think might be wind. Leon’s likely in the air on Charizard’s back. You can partly make out the instructions Leon’s giving Charizard on where to go, but the loud background noise washes out a lot of it. You just focus on breathing and keeping the phone to your ear as your head collapses to your shoulder in exhaustion.

It feels like several minutes before you hear Leon clearly over the phone again, “Are you still there?” He asks loudly, and you make a weak grunt of confirmation, too little energy to form words. “I think I see the forest you were talking about, at least I hope it’s the right one. Which lake were you walking by?”

Which lake? There are multiple? You have no idea, and you struggle to reply, “Dunno.”

You think you hear what might have been a curse come from Leon, but the wind has drowned it out too much to truly tell. “Charizard, let’s find…..land, get every…..for her,” you hear through the speaker, and you look up like you might be able to see Leon pass by overhead.

You’re reminded of the bond when you _feel_ Charizard as he gets closer, and you hear his roar of happiness to have located you so quickly, both in the distance, and slightly delayed over the phone. Charizard is heading straight to where you are now, and you hear Leon shout, “You know where she is? Brilliant!”

Charizard lands heavily not far from you, and you hear Leon call out your name. “I can hear you,” you rasp over the phone, and you hear Leon and Charizard begin to search for you. Your instructions to them feel like a game of hot and cold, as you can’t raise your voice loud enough to grab their attention.

You see Leon come around the tree you’re hiding against, and he misses you at first glance. “Leon,” you call out weakly, and his head shoots back over to you. You notice he’s only in a pair of sweat pants, and he’s missing a shirt and shoes. He likely ran out the door immediately without getting dressed properly in his rush to get to you on time.

He rushes over and kneels in front of you. “Shit,” he curses when he sees the amount of blood. “I got you,” he whispers, carefully lifting you and cradling you with both arms. He’s careful to avoid the backs of your legs, and wraps one arm under the tops of your thighs, and the other around your back.

“Wait.” You weakly point to the Pokéballs you’d tucked under the root, and Leon seems to get what you mean, because he wordlessly lets you go and grabs them both, tucking them into his pocket. Leon wraps his arms back around you, and lifts you like you weigh nothing. He tucks you against his chest as he calls Charizard over.

Relief floods you. Everything is going to be ok. With this, you stop fighting the exhaustion and let it claim you. You’re only aware of Leon climbing onto the back of Charizard with you, and Charizard taking off, before you completely black out.

When you wake up, you don’t recognize where you are. White walls, the soft beeping of machines, and a strong chemical smell are what greet you, and it doesn’t take you long to assume you’re likely in a hospital. Sitting up slightly, you look around. There’s no window outside or anything, so you’re not sure the time, but the lights in the room are dim. Your bag is sitting on a chair next to the bed, and your bed is the only one in the room. There’s machines to your left with wires and tubes attached to you, and to your right at the far side of the room is the door. The whole right wall has windows into the rest of the hospital, but you can’t make out much through the slits in the blinds. You do notice what looks like Leon standing against one of them – it looks like he’s on the phone.

You begin looking yourself over. You feel funny; you’ve likely got heavy pain meds in you, because you don’t hurt at all. You remember clearly everything that happened, so the first place you look is your legs. You lift up the blanket and take a look. Your poor battered left leg is heavily bandaged, so you’re not sure the damages there. You find you can move it when you attempt to do so, but you’re careful about it, because you don’t want to hurt anything while you can’t really feel the pain. Your right ankle is wrapped up as well, and there’s a brace around it keeping you from moving it. You wonder what damage you caused it when you fell and then tried to run on it.

The door opens suddenly, and you look up to see who it is. Leon’s tired looking head pops through the door. “You’re up,” he states, and he looks both angry and relieved to see you.

“How are my Pokémon?” It’s the first thing you can think to ask, and your voice sounds raspy but is otherwise stronger than it was before.

“They’re fine. They’re resting right now.” Leon comes in and walks up to the bed, moving your bag to the floor and collapsing into the chair. “I have a lot of questions. First, how are you feeling?” Leon’s fists are clenched in his lap, and his voice sounds strained. It isn’t hard for you to tell he’s upset and trying to control himself.

“Groggy? My head feels all stuffy. I’m not in pain though,” you answer, and he lets out a sigh.

“Are you up to answering some questions?” He’s not looking at you, he stares off to the wall in front of him. It’s hard to tell his facial expression from the side like this.

“I’ll do my best.” You collapse back into the bed, finding sitting up getting to be too tiring.

“Where’s Hop?”

It’s not the question you were expecting, so it takes you a minute to think. “He’s with Sonia.”

Leon sighs loudly and collapses in on himself. “Thank Arceus,” he cries out as he takes a few deep breaths. He pulls out his phone and sends a few text messages. “Where’s Sonia, then?”

“Probably still in the Wild Area? I don’t know, how long have I been unconscious for?” You’re not sure where they could be about now, not without knowing the time.

Leon pauses a moment while he checks something on his phone. “About 4 hours.”

That doesn’t help you as much as you want it to. “Uh, then yeah they’re in the Wild Area. They’re probably looking for me? We sort of got split up.” You imagine they must be searching for you by now. “Um, I got hurt and needed to rest, so Sonia and Hop went off and were going to come back later. But by nightfall they still hadn’t come back so I went looking for them.”

Leon takes a deep breath. “What were you doing in the Wild Area?” He looks outright angry now, but he’s keeping his voice controlled.

“Well, the train got delayed at the meeting spot station, so Hop wanted to do some training in the Wild Area. We ran into Sonia at the station, and she offered to chaperone us,” you explain. Your voice starts to mumble a bit at the end, and you’re trying to fight off the drowsy feeling that has washed over you. You still want to know where you are, but you know you should answer Leon’s questions first. He looks so upset, he deserves to know what’s going on after you woke him up.

“I see. And you got split off. In that case, what the hell were you thinking?! Going out at night like that, it’s incredibly dangerous! Sonia told you she would be back, she would have set you up in a safe area where you could have stayed all night until she returned! Why didn’t you stay?!” Leon loses his composure and raises his voice. It’s frighteningly loud, and guilt begins consuming you. This was the same thing Sonia told you about. The same thing that you were supposed to have learned your lesson from.

Embarrassed and afraid, you can’t help but lash out back. “How was I supposed to know it was more dangerous at night? No one told me that! No one told me anything about the Wild Area, how was I supposed to know there would be so many Pokémon I couldn’t take on?”

“So you went into the Wild Area without knowing anything about it?!” Seems you didn’t make the point you thought you were making, if this is Leon’s take.

“I was supposed to learn from Sonia and Hop while we were there!” You shout back. Your shout isn’t nearly as loud or as powerful as Leon’s is, and in your ears just sounds whiny.

“Then why didn’t you stay with them?!” You know Leon is trying to cut through your excuses, but you just can’t see yourself fully at fault here. The medication you’ve been given, and the state of mind you’re in, might be messing with your perception of this, which you’re vaguely aware of in the back of your mind.

“Because my Pokémon and I got injured and we needed to rest! Sonia and Hop were the ones who left me behind!” Now, in the back of your mind, you’re aware you’re twisting the truth here, but it’s hard to care right now when you still feel you need to defend yourself.

“You got injured previously?! How?!” Uh oh, you shouldn’t have admitted that. This argument is not going your way.

“Uh,” you deflate. Leon’s managed to circle it back to what you were trying to avoid, that you’d already learned this lesson and still made the same stupid mistake. “Overconfidence,” you reply at a normal volume.

Leon seems to deflate a bit at this as well. “Over- What? What happened?” His voice has returned to a normal level as well. He doesn’t look as angry now, more worried.

“My Pokémon and I thought we could take on an Onix,” you admit softly, and Leon looks like he’s about to launch into something. “Don’t,” you interrupt, holding up your hand. “Sonia already gave me hell over it. I was supposed to stay nearby while she went after Hop. Instead I wandered off and tried to fight an Onix. We all got injured, and I thought I was going to die then too. But Sonia saved me, and gave me shit for not listening to her and staying there. That was supposed to be my lesson, no one got seriously injured. Why didn’t I stay, Leon? Why did I think I could find them, after everything that had already happened? It was night time, what was I thinking?” You begin to sob, and you roll to burry your face in the pillow.

Leon sighs, but doesn’t say anything for a while. He doesn’t rub your back like Sonia did, so you try to calm yourself down on your own. “I’m so sorry,” you cough out between sobs, while you wrap your arms around yourself. Your face is buried in the pillow, so you’re not sure Leon even heard you. But next you know, you feel a hand run through your hair. Leon repeats this, and the petting motion calms you down.

“Overconfidence indeed,” Leon mutters as your breathing begins to even out and your sobs die down. “Did you and your team decide together you could handle finding Sonia and Hop too?”

You pause and think for a moment, remembering Scorbunny offering to light the way, and Rookidee flying above to see farther. “Yeah, we did.”

Leon snorts. “I see the problem, then. You’re not making rational decisions because of that bond you share with your Pokémon. You’re able to convince each other that you can handle things you ordinarily would know you couldn’t. They want to please you and prove their strength, when you’re picking up that, of course you’re going to run into things you shouldn’t. Why do you think wild Pokémon pick on Trainers way beyond their skill? Pokémon naturally want to prove themselves and get stronger, and those feelings convinced you to ignore your common sense,” Leon explains, and you’re hit with the realization that he’s right. “You should not be left on your own out in the wild, not until you can get that sorted,” Leon finishes, crossing his arms. A sympathetic look is on his face, however.

“What do you mean?” You’re not sure how you would get that sorted.

“You’ll have to learn to separate your Pokémon’s feelings from your own, so you don’t continue making this same mistake. Humans aren’t as strong as Pokémon. Blows that they can take cause serious harm to us. You have to learn to remember your own limits, so you can avoid situations where your life is in danger. That’s part of being a trainer.” You feel like you’re getting an earful from Leon, but his voice and words are kind.

“Thank you. You’ve done so much for me. I’m sorry this is how I repay you,” you respond after a moment.

Leon nods. “Well we’re not going to let this happen again. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go make some calls. I’ll let the nurse know you’re awake.” Leon pats you on the shoulder, before getting up and leaving. It isn’t long until the nurse comes in to check on you, checking all your vitals and confirming that you’re on some strong pain killers. She explains your injuries to you, but it’s hard to pay attention to what she says. You’re already tired from your talk with Leon.

You manage to make out terms like “nerve damage” and “recovery therapy” and your mind is already clocking out. Not again, you didn’t want this to be happening again. You were healthy here!

She wraps up by giving you some more medication through your IV drip, and lifting up the back of your bed so you can sit up. You doze in and out of sleep while watching some cartoon on the small TV near your bed. You’re not sure how much time passes before Leon returns; you’re not paying much attention.

Leon sinks back into the seat he was in before, and looks at you. “Kabu managed to locate Sonia and Hop, they were out looking for you, you were right. They’re on their way into town,” Leon begins, and you nod.

“They’re both ok?” You were a little worried after they didn’t show up last night when they said they would.

“Sounds like they got injured fighting a Dynamax Pokémon, but nothing serious to either of them. Apparently Sonia has words for you,” Leon says with a shit eating grin on his face, and you groan. “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her, but I imagine she’ll still have words for you after.” Leon’s still grinning, and you glare at him half-heartedly.

“Guess I deserve it though, I clearly can’t follow instructions.” You don’t mean to sound so bitter, but this whole thing has been a lot and you’re tired, and your brain is still playing catch up.

“You doing alright?” Leon asks, and you shrug.

“I don’t know. Leon… Am I going to be ok?” You look over to him and he looks concerned.

“The doctor seemed confident you’d recover fully with time,” Leon explains, and you nod.

“How long will that take?” You ask, looking over to the lump under the blanket that was your injured leg.

“Uh, I don’t believe he said,” Leon looks like he’s trying to remember the conversation he had with your doctor.

“Oh,” is all you can manage. “Do you think I’ll still be able to take part in the gym challenge?” You can’t look at him when you ask, you’re too afraid of the answer. It’s the question you’ve been most wanting to ask, because you desperately still want to participate. You made a promise to your Pokémon, after all.

Leon’s quiet for a moment. “I’m not sure. It depends how well you’re able to walk on it.” It’s crushing to hear, but there’s at least hope. You’re not sure what to say, so you end up staring off into space. Leon stays quiet as well, leaving you to your thoughts. You see him pull out his phone out of the corner of your eye.

There’s a knock on the door, and a nurse opens the door. As soon as it’s opened, you hear a cry that sounds like your Pokémon, followed up by your newly evolved Scorbunny running in and jumping up onto the bed. Rookidee enters after him, and the nurse apologizes. “I’m sorry, they were getting too rambunctious, they really wanted to come see you,” she explains while bowing slightly from her place at the door.

“Oh, that’s just fine! I wanted to see them!” You explain as your evolved partner gently climbs onto you to hug you. Rookidee lands above your head on the frame of the upright bed, and chirps happily. They’re both so happy to see you, and know that you’re ok. They were worried about you.

“Oh, congrats on your new Raboot!” Leon comments as he sees your new Pokémon for the first time. You’ve got his name now, at least. The nurse leaves when everything seems fine, as your Pokémon don’t seem to be at any risk of causing you further injury.

“He evolved while we were trying to escape the Pokémon chasing us,” you explain, patting his head. You get a better look at him now in the brighter hospital room, noting how adorable he is.

Leon’s phone goes off, and he checks it. “Sonia and Hop are almost at Motostoke, are you up for visitors? They both want to come see you.”

“Yeah, I’ll manage.” You’ll have to see them eventually, after all. You’re not feeling as heavily medicated now, just tired, so you’ll at least be more up for conversation.

“I’m going to go head out so I can meet them at the gate and fill them in, you try to get some rest. You look tired.” Leon moves to stand, and you’re tempted to call him out, because he also looks exhausted. He has bags under his eyes, and he’s wearing the same pants that he was wearing when he picked you up. He’s at least got a shirt now, but it’s part of a set of scrubs he likely was given from here. He’s been given a pair of slippers as well, so his feet are no longer bare. He looks like hell himself, and you imagine he’s likely been up this entire time dealing with your mess. A pang of guilt passes through you.

“Are you at least going to go change into some real clothes?” You tease softly instead, and Leon chuckles.

“That’s part of the plan, yes.” He shoots back, and you give him a small smile as he waves goodbye when he leaves.

You’re still cuddling with Raboot when the doctor comes in. He introduces himself stiffly, and explains that he’s here to examine your injuries. Raboot has to climb off you while the doctor checks your leg. He explains a bit more about the nerve damage, how it might make you have little feeling below your knee, and that your leg might be weaker. He rewraps your left leg, satisfied with how it’s healing. “You should try using it now and see how it feels.”

The doctor instructs you to move it in certain ways while you’re on the bed. Some hurt, some don’t, and the lack of range of movement in your leg bothers you a bit. After those, he wants you to try standing on it. He brings a walker over, and instructs you to hang on to it for support while you stand. You’re able to stand easy enough, but when you go to take a step and your left leg has to hold all your weight, it buckles under the pressure. You catch yourself with the walker, and get your right leg under you to get you standing again. This doesn’t bode well.

“Keep going,” the doctor encourages, so you take a deep breath and try another step. This one hurts less – you’re prepared for it, but you still have to catch yourself. You begin to feel the pattern, and by the time you’ve reached the other end of the room, you’ve got a solid limp walk going on and you’re barely needing the walker.

The doctor nods, looking quite please. “Excellent, you’re recovering nicely. I’m quite confident you’ll make a full recovery in time. It may never be as strong as it once was, but you’ll be able to walk on it just fine with time.” It’s the ‘time’ part that bothers you, but you suppose that’s not the worst diagnosis. It could be permanent. You’re quite glad you don’t have to deal with that again.

He leaves after writing down some notes, and you’re able to get some rest in the time you have until Hop and Sonia get here. You really don’t want to be yelled at again, you’re just so tired. You are excited to hear how the Dynamax battle went; you’re sure Hop is going to have quite the retelling for that one.

The nurse comes in after the doctor is done to give you more medication. She lowers the bed for you when you ask, and Raboot snuggles up with you under the covers. Sleep takes you quickly with the warm body of Raboot between your arms, and the comforting weight of Rookidee perching on your shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really enjoyed writing this one too. I have been dying, DYING, to write this scene with Leon. One of the first ones I thought up. I love angry Leon he's terrifying, he's definitely one of those characters you don't want to make angry.  
> Thank you so much for all the comments and support! You're all amazing people.  
> This is the most dramatic thing I've ever written I'm like part proud of myself part disappointed I didn't go harder haha.


	17. Chapter Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got some sleep this weekend. I've also done a ton of planning. I'm also tired of googling medical stuff but that's a curse I've brought on myself that I won't soon be rid of.

Hushed voices making quiet conversation is what wakes you, presumably, as it’s what you hear when you wake up. You open your eyes slowly, making out a few people sitting in chairs to your right. A few blinks and the three come into focus, and you can see Leon, who’s in some normal clothes for once, Sonia, who’s left arm is bandaged up, and Hop, who’s got a cut across his cheek and bandages around both hands and up his arms, but you’re not sure how far up his arms they go under the jacket.

“Oh hey, she’s waking up,” you hear Hop say louder, and all three heads turn to you. You blink a few more times before fully opening your eyes. “How’re you feelin’, mate?” Hop looks incredibly concerned, and you silently curse his expressive face as it makes you feel guilty immediately.

Your leg hurts, not so much you want to scream yet, but you can tell the pain killers are wearing off. Your stomach hurts, and you remember you haven’t eaten since last night. “In pain. Hungry,” is how you choose to communicate these feelings.

“I’ll let the nurse know,” Leon says as he jumps up from his seat. He seems in a hurry to escape, and you’re about to find out why.

Your eyes fall to Sonia, who has an unreadable expression on her face. She’s still looking right at you, and there’s something in her eyes that makes you fear for your life. “I’d like to start by saying, I’m glad you survived. But do you have any idea how stupid that was?!” Her voice raises, and even Hop jumps in his seat at the sudden change.

“And I’m not just talking to you, I’m talking to both your Pokémon too. All of you-” she glares at each one of you individually as she speaks, “should have known better! What will it take to teach you?”

“I’m so sorry, and so are my Pokémon. We didn’t mean for this to happen. I don’t know why we thought we could find you.” Raboot and Rookidee nod with your words, as they both feel bad for what happened too.

Sonia just shakes her head. “I don’t want to hear apologies. I just don’t want this to happen again. Please, be more cautious in the future.” Sonia isn’t yelling anymore, but her voice still has a hard edge to it that lets you know just how angry she is.

You nod. “I’ll do my best.” You can’t meet her eyes as tears stream down your face. Disappointing these people who’ve done so much to help you hurts, and you really do want to do better.

“Now, I promised Leon I wouldn’t be too hard on you. But I really am disappointed in you, I thought you would have learned your lesson after the Onix. I thought you were brighter than that.” Her words hurt, but it’s the sadness in her eyes that hurts worse.

Hop coughs, and you look over to him. He seems uncomfortable, so he changes the topic. “It’s too bad you couldn’t come fight a Dynamax battle with us. We fought a Pidove! And I got to Dynamax Wooloo! Oh mate, it was such a cool fight!” Hop begins gushing, and it brings a smile to your face.

“Until you told your Wooloo to attack when you were in the way and got knocked over. Scraped up both his arms, and I had to pick rocks out of them for half an hour by the river. In the dark!” Sonia complains, wagging her finger at Hop. “After I warned you about how big an area those moves hit, too. You’re both terrible at this listening to directions thing, you know.”

Hop holds his hands up defensively, and you can’t help but laugh, “I thought you meant an area around my opponent, I didn’t know Wooloo could hit me when I was standing near him!” Hop argues, and Sonia vocally groans while she rolls her eyes.

Leon pops back in then, cautiously opening the door and looking in before entering. “Oh I’m done now you oaf, you can come back in,” Sonia teases him when he doesn’t immediately enter, and he goes red as he comes in. “You’re just in time to hear Hop retell his battle with the Dynamax Pidove,” Sonia explains to Leon as he sits down in his chair.

Leon laughs, and Hop launches into it. “Well first, it was quite the journey to even find a den with a Dynamax Pokémon in it! Sonia had to chase off a Mudsdale my Wooloo got too close to when he rolled off, I made a Butterfree angry and Sonia had to chase it off.” Hop’s tale already brings a laugh out of you.

“Sounds like Sonia had to save your ass multiple times,” you tease, and Hop looks absolutely scandalized by your casual use of a swear word. Come to think of it, you’ve only heard Hop curse the once. Leon snickers and Sonia raises an eyebrow, but no one comments on it.

“He had a warning about each one too,” Sonia adds dryly, and Hop deflates and folds over on himself in his chair.

“Can you just let me tell the story?” Hop wails, and the three of you laugh before encouraging him to go on. “After we finally find one that has a Dynamax Pokémon in it, Sonia and I go in to fight it. This Pidove was massive! It was right terrifying up close like that. But Sonia and Yamper really are a force! Sonia let me Dynamax Wooloo for the fight, and that’s when the fight really began! Of course, when I ordered my Wooloo to use Max Strike, I was too close and got flung forward. Sonia helped me up and got me out of the way after that. Wooloo and Pidove were trading off these massive hits, and the Pidove was still standing when the Dynamax effect wore off Wooloo. Sonia had Yamper try to distract the Pidove from Wooloo so he could recover, but it made the Pidove corner Sonia and Yamper! I had to send out Rookidee and recall Wooloo, and that’s where Sonia got thrown into the wall and cut her arm. But Rookidee succeeded in getting the Pidove’s attention, and then Yamper was able to get a good hit in from behind and bring it down!” Hop is making wild arm gestures while he talks, wincing in pain every once in a while when a particular movement hurts. You smile the whole way through his story, and even Sonia and Leon have amused looks on their faces while they listen. His voice is so animated and expressive, you could probably listen to him rattle off stories for hours without getting bored.

The nurse comes in then, and Hop pauses his story for the nurse to ask you some questions and check your vitals. She writes some things down in your chart, gives you more pain medication through your IV, and brings some food in for you. It’s an ordinary, bland hospital meal of bread with jam spread on it, a small bowl of peas, a bland piece of chicken, and an apple. She sits the bed up so you can eat, and you dig in regardless of how unappealing it looks and tastes. You’re hungry enough to eat anything.

Hop continues his story, about finding water to clean out their injuries at and setting up camp nearby, and setting out to find you in the morning. He wraps up when they run into Kabu, and conversation turns to the Gym Challenge after that. You stay quiet during this; Hop sounds so excited for it, and it seems like he doesn’t know you might not be joining him yet.

The pain meds are making you feel sluggish again, and conversation gets hard to keep up with anyway. At some point, the doctor comes in and kicks everyone out so he can check on you again. It feels to you like it hasn’t been that long since he’s come see you, but he informs you of how late it actually is, and that he’s checking on you once more before going home for the night. You had no idea it was so late – you must have slept for hours. You wonder how long your three friends waited around for you in that waiting room. It’s a nice feeling, knowing these people were willing to do that for you.

The doctor looks at your leg again, commenting on how it’s healing. He makes you do the same movements as earlier, and you have the same troubles as before. He looks less optimistic this time when he tells you to get up and try walking. He brings the walker over, and once again you try to make it to the far wall. Knowing that you have to limp prepares you a bit more this time, but it’s still incredibly difficult to make it. You’re able to make it without leaning on the walker too much at all this time, at least.

You reach the far wall, and the doctor is looking at you with a frown. “You’re favouring it too much, you’re going to harm your other ankle. Try walking back to the bed.” So he makes you do it again. You try walking more normally this time, which is much more difficult. You have to catch yourself with the walker multiple times, a curse leaving your lips each time your leg gives out. You eventually make it back to the bed, and fall into it. The doctor does help you climb back in, praising your progress. “I want you to try to walk like that every time you get up to walk. It will be hard, but that’s the only way you’re going to build the strength to walk on it normally. You’ll give yourself a permanent limp if you let yourself favour it.” He warns as he tucks you in and returns the walker to the corner.

Visiting hours are over for the night, but it seems being with the Champion gives you special privileges, as your friends are allowed to come back in when the doctor is done. Leon and Sonia don’t stay long after, they can tell you’re groggy and that you’re not up for conversation, but Hop stays. He moves to the comfier chair Leon was in earlier, and quietly sits with you while your Pokémon play together on the floor. Raboot and Rookidee are a little stir crazy from being here all day, but Hop’s Pokémon help them spend that energy without getting into any trouble.

It’s in this quiet, when they’re turning out all the lights for nighttime, when you and Hop are in that certain kind of darkness where you can only barely make each other out, that you finally brave telling Hop. “I might not be able to do the gym challenge.” It’s barely a whisper, but you know Hop heard.

He was watching the Pokémon still rolling together on the floor, but his head snaps up and he looks at you. “What?” His reply sounds strangled.

“Did Leon tell you how bad it was? My leg?” You can make out Hop shaking his head no, so you continue, “There’s nerve damage, so I can’t walk properly. If I can’t walk unaided by the time the gym challenge starts, I can’t take part.” Your voice chokes up on you without your permission, and you have to stop and take a deep breath to try to force the ball of emotion back down.

“What do you mean?” Hop asks, and he sounds completely crestfallen.

“There’s a walker over there in the corner-” you gesture vaguely at the opposite corner of the room while continuing, “that I have to use to walk with right now. If I can’t walk without it, without any mobility aids, then I can’t do the gym challenge. Which, by the way,” you begin launching into something before Hop can interject, “is complete bullshit. And ableist. I can still battle with a bum leg, what the hell.”

You can’t make out Hop’s face well enough in the limited light from the beeping machines around you to know what facial expression he’s making, but he takes a while to respond. “Does that mean you only have until opening ceremonies to recover?” Hop’s voice is small, and you reach over to take the hand that’s sitting on the armrest near you.

“I don’t know. Leon didn’t say.” Hop squeezes your hand back and nods.

“I guess I can see why, you can’t run around and battle on the pitch with a walker.” Hop’s voice is monotone, and it’s strange to hear his voice so lacking in emotion.

“Still dumb, I’ve seen people fight without really moving around on the pitch much. It could be done. I’m just saying, it wouldn’t really be that hard to make the Gym Challenge more accessible.” You’re venting for the sake of it now, though maybe you can bring it up to Leon; as Champion he might be able to do something about it.

Hop doesn’t respond though, even though he’s still looking at you. “I’m sorry. If I hadn’t run off, none of this would have happened. I’m so sorry, I-” you have to cut Hop off before the waterworks start, as you can already hear he’s about to cry.

“Hop, no. That’s not true. If I had stayed still and listened to Sonia, none of this would have happened. You can’t blame yourself for that, you can’t blame yourself for my choices. You didn’t force me to go fight that Onix, you didn’t force me to pack up my campsite in the dead of night to try to come find you. I did those things. Well, me and my Pokémon did. We decided we could fight an Onix, we decided we could make it through the dark just fine. It was never anyone’s faults but our own. Please don’t blame yourself.” You can see the tears glittering in his eyes as you watch him, catching the lights from the machines around you. Your own eyes fill up with tears as you talk.

Hop sniffs, wiping his eyes with the back of his free hand. He squeezes your hand again, and you squeeze back in return. He goes quiet again after nodding to you; he has a lot to think about now. Your Pokémon all get tired eventually, and Hop recalls his while yours join you on the bed. “I should go. Leon got a room for me at the Budew Drop Inn. You should try to get some more rest. I’ll come see you again tomorrow.”

You nod, and wish him goodnight. He gives you a brief, gentle hug, careful not to hurt you. He lowers you bed back down and makes sure you’re comfy before leaving. Sleep doesn’t come to you immediately, so your thoughts circle around about your situation until you’re exhausted enough to sleep.

Hop indeed comes back the next day, as do Leon and Sonia. Leon is busy with preparations for opening ceremonies, so you don’t see him much, but Hop and Sonia spend quite a lot of time with you. You’re doing much better the next day, to the point that you’re able to take a few steps without the walker. You’re practicing pretty often, with Sonia and Hop helping you. You’re able to get yourself to the bathroom on your own, and even down to the cafeteria for some lunch, with the walker’s aid.

The Gym Challenge is a topic that is avoided throughout the day. Even when Leon joins your group for lunch, he keeps away from the Gym Challenge. You don’t question it; you imagine it must be difficult for them to talk about, too. As he’s wearing his full Champion get-up, a few people do come up to your table to speak to Leon. He’s kind about dealing with them quickly and without mentioning the reason he’s here, and you’re thankful he’s so good at dealing with the public.

You’re doing so well by the evening, in fact, that the doctor discharges you. You’re shown how to change your bandages by the nurse, with instructions to change them twice a day. She packs a bag of bandages and cleaning wipes in your bag for you, as well. The doctor gives you a small bottle of pills, and you’re told you can take a max of 3 a day for your pain. You do still need the walker to walk correctly, but you can get by without it if you limp. They give you the walker regardless, with strict instructions to continue using it until you can walk correctly unaided.

It’s when you’re being shown how to change your bandages that you get the first good look at how bad your leg is. It’s surprisingly not nearly as bad as you thought it would be, as it’s all stitched up and beginning to heal. It seems too early for it to be beginning to heal already, but when you point that out, the nurse seems confused, and tells you this is the normal rate. You don’t push it further, opting instead to talk to someone who knows your situation later.

Finally, the IV is removed, and you’re detached from the machines. You’re allowed to change back into real clothes, and out of this hospital gown you’ve been in since waking up. You pull your last outfit out of you bag with a sigh, having torn up one and lost the other to the damage it sustained when you were attacked. Hop and Sonia leave and allow you to change, though come back in to help you leave when you’re done. Hop carries your bag for you, and Sonia leads the way to the Budew Drop Inn.

Leon meets you there, and he hands you what looks like an ID card and a key when you arrive in the lobby. “Here, this is your ID, and this is your room key. I got you a room here, and you can stay until you decide what you’d like to do. We can talk about it later though, you should go and get some rest for now.” Leon offers a sympathetic look, and you tuck the items in your pocket.

“Your room is right beside mine, want me to take you up there?” Hop pipes up, and you nod mutely at him. Hop turns to head further into the lobby, heading up the stairs. The immediate problem here is the stairs.

You hadn’t run into any problems so far in Motostoke yet. The lift to the upper level that you’d taken to get here had been fine to use with the walker, as there was a ramp up to it and everything. It moved a little fast, and Hop had to hold onto you to keep you from falling over, but you’d still been able to do it. Knowing how fast it goes now, you could brace yourself on the rails to keep yourself upright. Point is, you could do it alone.

Stairs, those you could not. A strangled noise leaves your throat, and a quick glance around confirms there’s no ramp. And you thought accessibility options were bad where you came from. Hop turns back around at the sound you make, and his face drops when he realizes the problem.

“Uh, let me help you, mate,” he says weakly as he comes back down the stairs. Raboot wants to help too, but he’s not tall enough to offer you any sort of physical support. Hop leads you over to the railing and slips an arm under yours and wraps it around your back. Sandwiched between him and the railing, you’re able to start up the stairs slowly.

You think of your walker left behind, and Raboot decides that’s how he can help. He picks it up, and Rookidee flies over to grab the top to help Raboot hold it steady. Together the two of them bring it up to the top before you make it there, and you thank them both for their help.

The rest is fine, as Leon’s ensured you’re already checked in, and there’s elevators to your floor. Hop helps you into your room, and stays long enough to make sure you’re settled. He hugs you goodnight again, a bit tighter and a bit longer this time, and you feel him take in a shuddering breath before he lets go, like he’s trying to keep from crying. He won’t look at you when he lets go, and that all but confirms it to you. You’re sure he’s feeling guilty and blaming himself again, but you don’t have the words right now to comfort him. You don’t even have the words to comfort yourself.

You really don’t have words at all right now.

Hop leaves, and you slowly get ready for bed. Raboot and Rookidee do their best to help, grabbing things for you and moving things as needed. You’re incredibly thankful for both of them. There’s a window in your room that you open; it’s a cold night, but the walk here hadn’t really given you enough fresh air yet. You’ve always liked sleeping with the window open anyways.

Rookidee perches in the open window and decides to sleep there, while Raboot climbs into your arms as he always does. Sleep is the last thing on your mind, however. You need to think of how to get into the gym challenge.

You need the walker to walk properly, but you can limp around a bit without it. You can also stand if you keep most of your weight on your right leg, but you have to be careful about that as your twisted ankle still needs to heal, too. You have to confirm what Leon meant about being able to walk on it before you’ll know if you can get in on the technicality that you can limp.

You decide to text Leon. He may still be up, and if he’s not, he can answer you in the morning.

(You up?) **:You**

 **Leon:** (Yep, what did you need?)

(About the gym challenge, you said I had to be able to walk.) **:You**

(What did you mean by that?) **:You**

 **Leon:** (You have to be able to walk without any mobility aids.)

(Do I have to walk properly or can I limp?) **:You**

 **Leon:** (Depends, does it hold you back in battle?)

 **Leon:** (If so, you’ll have a tough time in the gym challenge.)

(So I have to be able to walk by opening ceremonies?) **:You**

 **Leon:** (Yes)

(But if I make it through opening ceremonies, I’m good, right?) **:You**

(I can do the gyms at my own pace so I have time to heal?) **:You**

 **Leon:** (You have 6 months to beat the 8 gyms.)

 **Leon:** (You can take your time a bit, if you have enough time to finish.)

You won’t just be able to wait around to heal completely then, but if you have 6 months to complete the gym challenge, you should be able to rest a bit if you manage your time well. You have your loophole at least, you can get out there on the pitch by limping. If that’s all you have to do for opening ceremonies, you’ll be ok.

At least, you hope you will.

You’re going to at least give this a try. But you have one more question for Leon.

(If I don’t finish, can I try again next year?) **:You**

 **Leon:** (You’ll need another endorsement, but yes.)

 **Leon:** (And you can pick up where you left off the previous year.)

Sounds like this wasn’t an unusual occurrence at least. You decide to do your best, you’re going to go out there and do opening ceremonies, and hopefully you’ll heal quickly and you can finish the gym challenge this year. You aren’t going to risk permanently disfiguring yourself for it, though, so you aren’t going to push yourself. With a plan in mind for how to tackle this, you fall asleep at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my birthday in two days and my life is a burning trash heap. I'm incredibly overwhelmed and am using writing as a coping mechanism. It's been a huge help, it truly has, but if you're curious why I've been writing so much recently, it's because I'm not doing well.  
> I'm not even excited for Animal Crossing it's that bad.  
> I've had an emotionally exhausting weekend. Thank you for all the kind words and support. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  
> When taking notes for the upcoming chapters, I was getting so excited. All the other characters are going to be showing up soon, and I've got some great moments with a specific one planned. Of course, what I planned was supposed to be enough for 2 chapters, but now it's going to be at least 3 because I am a wordy little prat who dragged out this hospital scene for far too long by complete accident. We were supposed to be at the day before opening ceremonies by the end of this chapter.  
> I could make longer chapters though. There's literally nothing stopping me.  
> I hope the texting scene is legible I was not sure how to do that and I could not recall any fics off the top of my head that did it and was too lazy to go searching through a bunch and I couldn't remember how people normally do it so it's nice and readable so I'm sorry. Please suffer with this. I might go fix it later if I remember but I make no promises.


	18. Chapter Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 3000 hits? Over 200 kudos? Over 100 comments? (well half of those are mine so over 50 comments?) And I've hit 50k words?  
> The support has been unreal, thank you. I went into this thinking maybe one or two people would like it, I never expected this. Thank you all so much.

Morning comes with the sound of people bustling around outside your window. It doesn’t take you long for you and your Pokémon to get ready in the morning. Raboot helps you change your bandages, and you put back on yesterday’s outfit you’d worn to get here, and make a mental note that you’d have to go get some new clothes today. You run into Sonia in the lobby, and she’s able to help you out of the inn.

“Want to come get breakfast with Yamper and me?” She asks when you’re outside in the fresh air.

“Sure, I’d love to!” Sonia smiles at your response, and walks patiently with you to a nearby café. Sonia pays for everything, and you’re sure to thank her profusely.

“So, what’s your plan for the day?” Sonia asks while you help your Rookidee eat a pancake.

You think for a minute. You hadn’t really made one yet, aside from getting some new clothes. “Clothes shopping, this is the only outfit I’ve got left now. Other than that, I’m not sure. I’m going to practice walking without the walker a bit today, so I can go register for the gym challenge.”

Sonia looks taken aback. “You’re still going to do it?” Her voice is quiet and nervous sounding.

You nod, and Raboot and Rookidee both cheer. “Leon told me I need to be able to walk without any aids. So if I can limp my way into opening ceremonies, I can still at least give the Gym Challenge a try. I’m not going to push myself too hard though, I don’t want to ruin my leg. But I am going to try to get as far as I can this year.” Though your voice starts out weak, by the end you’re able to speak with conviction. Sonia smiles warmly at you when you finish.

“I’m proud of you for not letting this stop you. I’ll be cheering for you! If you’re this determined, I think you’ll be able to go pretty far.” Sonia twirls her hair and takes a sip of her tea, a fond look on her face. “But you better take care of yourself! I’ll always come bail you out of trouble if you need, but I better not have to!” She flips between scolding and caring so quickly, you can’t help the spurt of laughter that comes out of you.

“I’m going to do my best. I don’t want this-” you gesture to your leg, “happening again either. It hurts a lot, even with the pain meds.”

Sonia nods sadly. “I’m sure Leon and Hop have offered to help you too, but I’m out here researching. I can take a break whenever I need. Please call me if you need help.”

You’re pleasantly surprised at her offer, as it isn’t something you were expecting. “I really appreciate that. You hardly know me, and you’re willing to help. I don’t really get why, to be honest, but I appreciate it a lot.”

Sonia looks away. “To be honest as well? I feel guilty. I feel partially responsible, that I didn’t make it clear enough to you that you should wait, or for how long. I’m so sorry, I feel like I failed you. I want to make it up to you, in any way I can.” Her voice chokes up a bit as she speaks, and she rubs her sleeve across her eyes and sniffs before looking back at you.

“Sonia… Thank you. I’m sorry too.” Sonia reaches across the table and takes both your hands in hers, and squeezes them.

“The opening ceremonies, huh?” Sonia muses after a moment. “Let me know if you need any help with that. I get a bit worked up when I think how exciting and moving it was to actually stand on a stadium’s pitch for the first time!”

Excitement fills you too. You want to stand on that pitch so much. “I really hope I can do it. What was doing the Gym Challenge with Leon like? Obviously Mr. Undefeated won, but what was the actual Gym Challenge like?” You ask, curious to hear about her own Gym Challenge experience.

Her face falls, and she pulls her hands back. “It was… It was hard, but also a lot of fun. I was glad I gave it a try.”

“Did you finish it?” You’re not sure if this is rude to ask, but she nods.

“Yes. I even faced off against Leon in the finals, and lost. After something that happened in that battle, I quit competitive battling. Then I became Gran’s assistant.” Sonia looks down at her Yamper resting in her lap, petting him while she talks.

You’re not sure what to say. You want to know what thing happened during the battle, but she wouldn’t have referred to it so vaguely if she wanted to talk about it, you think. You don’t want to pry further than you already have.

“Ugh!” Sonia lets out a loud sigh. “This is too depressing to talk about this early in the morning. You mentioned clothes shopping?” Sonia’s eyes light up and she smiles, “Would you like help with that?”

You grin back, “I’d love help!” You’ve seen a few of Sonia’s outfits now, and you’ve seen her closet briefly when you stayed the night at her place. You know she has a good sense of style, and you have not had to do that whole women’s clothes shopping thing in a while. You could use all the help you could get for this.

Sonia takes you to a boutique nearby, eager to get you some new clothes. She picks out a bunch of cute things for you, and you genuinely enjoying trying them on and showing them to Sonia, even if it takes a while to change each time with your leg. Hop calls you while you’re shopping, wondering where you are. You agree to meet up with him when you’re done shopping.

The clothes come out to much more than you can afford – which is zero – so Sonia insists on buying them for you. When you complain, she raises an eyebrow at you and points out the obvious. “With what money? You don’t have any source of income right now.”

You’re forced to accept the gift, even if you feel bad about it. You tuck the new outfits neatly into your bag, opting to keep on the last one you tried on. Sonia continues brushing you off about it as she walks with you to where you’re meeting Hop, refusing to let you feel bad about it.

She’s getting good at changing the topic when you bring it up. “Thanks for always tagging along with Hop.”

“What?” You’re confused where this is coming from though.

“I hope you can keep it up, I know he’s a real handful. Leon really worries about him, too. He practically raised him, after all,” Sonia explains, and you nod.

“I don’t mind, he’s fun to spend time with.” You wonder what she means by Leon raising him, but you’re not sure how to ask.

“You’re so much more grounded than he is. It’s really good he has someone like you to look out for him,” Sonia concludes as she gives you a caring look. “It’s a tough job, but someone has to look after those boys. I looked after Leon, I’m passing the torch to you now for Hop.” She has a grin on her face as she pats your shoulder sympathetically, and you laugh.

“I think I’ll manage just fine,” you grin back, and she raises her eyebrows at you, but doesn’t continue the topic. You’re almost to where you’ll be meeting Hop, anyways.

Hop’s happy to see you when you run into him. He greets both you and Sonia, offering his previous seat on the bench to you.

“Well I’m off then,” Sonia announces immediately.

“Where are you off to so soon?” Hop asks, crossing his arms.

“To do my actual work. I’m heading to the library here to do some research on some old Galar legends. You two have fun though.” Sonia waves as she walks off.

“You’re getting lamer as you get older, Sonia!” Hop calls after her, and her wave turns into a middle finger. You snort in laughter as Hop shouts, “Hey! Rude!”

Sonia doesn’t further acknowledge him though, not giving into his taunting. When she’s gone, Hop turns to you with a sad look on his face and plops down on the bench beside you. It’s a quieter area here, and Hop’s Pokémon are playing with your Raboot, your Rookidee choosing to stay out of it. It seems like Hop wants to say something, as he keeps looking at you and then looking away. You wait patiently for him to find what he wants to say.

“Mate, listen…” Hop finally begins. “If you can’t do the gym challenge this year, I’ll put it off for a year too. I don’t want to do it by myself, it won’t be the same. So if you can’t come with me, then I’m not going.” Hop looks at you with a sad kind of conviction in his eyes, and you reach over and pull him into a hug.

“Hop, I’m really glad you’d do that for me, but you don’t have to. I’m going to try to enter it this year,” you explain to him, and he wraps his arms back around you.

“Really?!” He pushes you away from him to see your face, and you nod. He pulls you back into a tight hug again with a large grin on his face. “Alright! That’s ace! We can still be rivals!”

“I’ll do my best to keep up, but I’m going to have to hold off on any gyms until I can battle without having to use the walker. I’ll try to catch up but I may not finish it this year.” You squeeze Hop back, and pull away from the hug slightly so you can see his face.

He’s back to looking sad again. “Then I’ll wait with you.”

“No you don’t, you better finish this year if I can’t. For me,” you argue; you’re not going to let him sabotage his dream of becoming Champion just to help you out.

Hop frowns, but nods anyways. “I’m still going to wait for you, at least for a bit. But I’ll finish it this year, no matter what, and become Champion. And next year, you can come challenge me!” Hop’s voice has its usual cheer in it, though he’s still frowning.

“I like that,” you reply with a soft smile, and it brings Hop to stop frowning. “Want to go register for the Gym Challenge together then?” You ask, and this is what brings the bright smile back to Hop’s face.

“Absolutely! I’m so stoked for this! Let’s go!” Hop jumps up from the bench, and begins wrangling his Pokémon back into their balls as you get up and call Raboot over. Hop walks slowly with you over to the stadium, talking excitedly about the Gym Challenge once more now that it isn’t a topic he has to avoid.

You both come to a stop outside the doors of the stadium, just taking a look at it. “Motostoke Stadium… This is where the opening ceremonies will be held. Everyone’ll be watching the opening ceremonies for the gym challenge… My mum… All of Galar… The whole world! It’s getting me a bit nervous, really…” Hop says as he looks at you from the corner of his eye while he’s still facing the massive building.

“I can tell, you’re shaking.” You point out the noticeable tremble in his arms.

“Naw, this isn’t nerves… I’m only trembling because I’m so excited!” Hop shoots back, turning to face you fully.

“Sure you are.” You grin teasingly at him, and he makes a face at you.

“Come on, it’s time the world learned our names!” Hop begins walking towards the doors, and you follow behind him.

Inside the stadium is pretty busy, there are lots of people walking around and talking. Some are dressed in uniforms, some aren’t. There are lots of Pokémon around as well, hanging out near their trainers. You see some strong ones as well.

“Would you take a look at this… This place is packed with gym challengers!” Hop cries out, and keeps closer to you. “Every one of these folks is another rival!” He loudly whispers as he leans towards you like this is a secret.

A lot of them are looking at you. You hate this already, and it seems Hop’s noticing it too. “Ok, what do we do now Hop?” You ask, and he points to the counter with a man behind it.

“Let’s get signed up!” He leads you over to the counter. People politely move out of the way as you walk past, but the way they stare at you feels uncomfortable. Though from looking at you right now, a stranger wouldn’t be able to tell you were injured. You’re in pants, no one can see how covered in bandages you are.

There’s currently someone else being helped at the counter, a man in a pink jacket. Hop stands beside you as the two of you wait your turn. When the man is done, he turns around and runs a hand through his hair before heading back towards the doors. As he passes, he bumps harshly into Hop, knocking Hop back into you a bit. The man doesn’t apologize either, he just keeps going.

“Seriously? What a piece of work…” Hop mutters as he watches the man go. “You ok, mate?” His eyes flick to you to make sure you’re alright.

“I’m fine, come on.” You walk up to the counter and Hop follows behind.

“If you’re here to register for the Gym Challenge, I’ll need to see your endorsement, please.” The man behind the counter greets as you get near. You begin digging through your bag, and pull out the endorsement letter, handing it to the man. “You know, you can’t use that on the pitch,” he points to your walker as he takes the letter from you.

“I’m aware. I won’t be using it on the pitch. It’s just temporary.” You explain, hoping that’s true. You really want this to just be temporary.

“If that’s the case, then that should be fine.” You sigh at the answer as he opens your letter. “Fancy that… This is the first time we’ve had a challenger endorsed by the Champion!”

“Well, now you’ve had two, because I am as well!” Hop hands his letter to the man as well.

“What?! Two of you at once?!” He shouts as he opens Hop’s letter, confirming it for himself. “I wonder what’s come over Leon this year…” He moves to his computer to begin typing things in. “The two of you must be something special.”

“I’m Hop!” Hop’s got that cocky look on his face that reminds you too much of the look his brother wears on TV, and you fight the groan that wants to escape you. “I’m Leon’s little brother, in fact. And the next Champion. Get me all signed up, would you?”

“W-well, yes, I am trying to… If you’ll just give me a moment…” The man stammers, and you glare at Hop.

“Hop! Just let him do his job,” you whisper to Hop angrily, and he rubs the back of his head.

The man asks you both a few questions, and you have to show him your ID cards, and then you’re done. “There! You two have been successfully registered as gym challengers. You can now choose your preferred number for your uniform. It’ll be displayed on the back of the uniform you must wear for any official match.”

Hop gestures for you to go first, so you give the man your favourite number, 13. Hop asks for the number 189. After getting your uniform sizes, he tells you that you can come pick up your uniforms later.

Hop, as excited as ever, is ready to charge off on an adventure. “I’m off to go train up! There’s some seriously strong competition here. I’ll catch up with you later!” Hop calls before dashing off. You barely get to wave bye as he leaves.

You’re already tired, and it’s barely the afternoon. Raboot encourages you to go sit down; people aren’t staring anymore, so you don’t feel as uncomfortable now in the lobby. You sit beside a girl with black hair in pigtails, a black coat, and a cute pink dress. She has a Pokémon you don’t recognize in her arms, though it looks cute.

When you sit down beside her, she looks up at you. “You’re lookin’ a bit gobsmacked by all this.” She states, looking right at you with piercing teal eyes.

“Uh, yeah, guess you could say I am,” you reply as Raboot hops up beside you on the bench.

“You must be from some small country town, is that it? I’m quite the same myself.” She seems oddly perceptive, having been able to guess that so easily.

“How could you tell?” You ask, wondering what about you gave it away.

“Your accent. You don’t talk like the city folk do.” You notice the different twang in her words; her accent is different too. “I’m also the same, my accent sticks out too.”

“I like yours though, because it’s different. It’s cool.” You smile at her, and her eyes light up a little.

“You think? I dunno, I think yours is pretty neat. I’ve never heard somethin’ like that.” She seems kind, and you have just as much trouble taking the compliment as she does.

“Ah, thank you, I think,” you scratch the side of your face nervously. The Pokémon sitting in her lap catches your attention, and you remember to ask, “Oh, what kind of Pokémon is that?”

“This is Morpeko.” She picks him up so you can see him. “He’s been my partner for a long time. How long have you been a trainer?”

“Um, a couple weeks? Not very long at all.” You answer, and her eyes widen slightly in surprise.

“Your Pokémon are pretty well behaved for that, you must be somethin’. Guess I’ll have to keep my eye out for you.” She sounds impressed, and you let out a small laugh nervously.

“Maybe we’ll have to battle sometime,” you offer, and she nods as she stands.

“I’d like that. I gotta be off, I’ll see you around,” She waves briefly with her free arm, the other holding her Morpeko to her.

“Good luck in the Gym Challenge!” You wave as well, and she nods to you.

“You too,” She responds before leaving. You sit in the stadium for a while longer, taking in the people and the atmosphere. Raboot and Rookidee want to battle all the different Pokémon in here, and you can’t help but grin at their enthusiasm.

Eventually you head out. You go hunt for lunch, and find yourself in a battle café. You have no energy to battle, so you just order some food for you and your Pokémon, and watch the battles other customers have. A lot of the people who come in to battle are Gym Challengers, and you and your Pokémon pay attention to the battles to learn as much as you can from them.

It’s late before you head back to the hotel. You’ve managed to get some practice walking without the walker, though it’s hard and you can’t do it long. You’ve got less than 2 days now, you hope you can make it. Sonia is in the lobby, staring at the statue between the sets of stairs.

“Hey Sonia, what are you doing?” You ask as you come up to her.

“I was looking into mysterious Pokémon that are said to be living in the Slumbering Weald today, among other legends, and I came across one about this guy.” She gestures to the statue. “So I decided to come take a look at him.”

Hop comes jogging in as Sonia’s talking, and comes up to the two of you. “What are you guys looking at?” He asks as he catches the last bit of Sonia’s explanation.

“This is a statue of the hero who once saved the Galar region. I could run through the legend right quick, if you fancy?” Sonia turns to look at both you and Hop.

“Yes please, I’d love to hear about some Galar legends!” You exclaim, and Hop sighs.

“Well I’m here, and I’ve got nothing much better to do, so I guess I could listen too,” Hop crosses his arms and is trying to look bored, but he seems mildly interested.

“Long ago,” Sonia begins, “a great dark storm covered the Galar region. People called it ‘The Darkest Day’. The land was assaulted by gigantic Pokémon, but they were defeated by a single young hero bearing a sword and a shield. This statue here is meant to depict the young hero of that legend. We still don’t understand what kind of sword and shield the hero actually had. And what this ‘dark storm’ is supposed to be is just another mystery… Whatever is was, it blotted out the skies all across Galar. I suppose that tracks with it being called the Darkest Day, but still…” Sonia trails off, turning back to the statue and holding her chin like she’s thinking.

“Huh, I suppose that hero must’ve been about as strong as Lee, then!” Hop concludes, and you nod.

“You’d have to be pretty strong to stop something like that all on your own. I wonder if he had some kind of help?” You ponder, and Hop continues your thought.

“You mean like Pokémon help?” He asks, and you shrug. “Looks like you’re going to have your hands full with plenty to research, though, Sonia. Dark storms and swords and shields and all…” Hop shoots Sonia a concerned glance, and you turn to her too.

“Will you be alright, Sonia?” You ask, as it sounds like it’ll be difficult to look into, like it’s not well documented. Like Sonia will be the first to put this all together if she figures it out.

“Course I will. I’ll muddle through somehow, don’t you worry!” She smiles at you and Hop kindly. “I don’t mind a challenge, and I’ve got lots of friends who I can rely on, too.”

“And we’ll look out for you, too, Sonia. If we hear anything about any hero or whatever, we’ll tell you!” Hop offers, and Sonia reaches over to squeeze his shoulder.

She’s about to respond to that when the commotion going on up the stairs gets loud enough that you begin to hear it. Sonia and Hop turn towards the yelling at the same time you do. “Should we go check that out?” You ask, and Hop nods. He and Sonia help you up the stairs so you all can see what’s going on.

As you get up the stairs, you’re met with a group of punk looking hooligans with face paint. They’re causing a big scene at the desk as a line of gym challengers waits at the side to try to check in. Raboot gets a little too close to one, and it seems to catch their attention as they turn to face you.

“You lookin’ to get in our way? There’ll be a battle in it for you if you do.” One of the men says, and that gets Raboot excited.

“I think those people want to check in though, you should move out of the way so they can.” It’s likely Raboot’s feelings that are making you this confrontational, but the man takes a step towards you at your words.

“Didn’t we tell you, mate? You get in our way, and you’re in for a battle!” A female says as she joins the guy who’s stepped away. Hop takes a step up beside you when she does.

“Two on one seems hardly fair though,” Hop’s got your back it seems, and you shoot him a smile.

“Team Yell’s all about helpin’… Helpin’ one very special trainer win the gym challenge, that is! We wanna make sure she gets cheered on nice and proper… And now you’re gonna help us make some noise!” The man yells, and he throws out a Pokéball. His female companion throws one out as well, and Raboot isn’t alone long – Hop quickly throws out his Wooloo to join the fight.

The man sends out a Zigzagoon, though it looks much different than you’re used to seeing. The woman sends out a Nickit, you’ve seen a couple from your time back in Postwick. You know the Nickit is a Dark-type for sure, so you tell Raboot to hit him with Double Kick. Hop looks over to you and you share a look, and he commands his Wooloo to Tackle Zigzagoon. The Nickit gets a quick hit in first against Raboot, that the trainer calls a Quick Attack, but Raboot’s kicks still connect and send the Nickit flying.

The Zigzagoon retaliates against Hop’s Wooloo, but Wooloo is easily able to roll out of the way of the attack. This leaves the Zigzagoon open, and Raboot is able to land a kick on the Zigzagoon before it can fully recover, knocking it onto it’s back.

“Roll into the Nickit!” Hop commands his Wooloo as Raboot keeps Zigzagoon off him. The Nickit is fast, and lands another quick hit on Wooloo before he hits the Nickit. That last hit is all it takes for Nickit to be down for the count, and the female returns her Pokémon.

Another one of the Team Yell members steps up to join the battle, throwing out another Nickit. They’ve surrounded Raboot, but this doesn’t faze you or Raboot like it does Hop.

“Wooloo! Quick, turn around!” Hop commands, but Raboot hops out of the way of a swipe from the Nickit and lands the finishing blow on the Zigzagoon. It topples over and doesn’t recover, and its trainer recalls it while Raboot does a complete 180 with his kick and smacks the Nickit as well. He knocks the Nickit right into the path of Hop’s Wooloo, and the Nickit gets nailed again.

A fourth trainer joins the battle, throwing in another Zigzagoon. “Nice teamwork!” You shout to Hop, and he grins back at you.

That Nickit is charging back to hit Wooloo though, so Hop shouts “Defense Curl!” just in time for Wooloo to curl into a tight ball and deflect part of the hit. Raboot becomes covered in flames as he uses Flame Charge on the newly sent out Zigzagoon, and it tumbles back towards its trainer’s feet. The Zigzagoon recovers and launches itself at Raboot, who’s fully prepared for him. You snap your fingers at Hop and point out the line between the charging Zigzagoon, and Raboot, who’s lined himself up in front of Wooloo and Nickit.

You’re glad Hop’s clever, as he sees what you mean immediately, and tells Wooloo to roll out of the way just in time, as Raboot hops clear over the Zigzagoon, and it charges right into the Nickit.

“No!” The trainer screams as they recall their unconscious Nickit. It’s just the Zigzagoon left now, and Hop grins at you and points out another line.

“Wooloo, roll a quarter turn towards me and Tackle!” Hop commands, and you get his play. Wooloo collides with the Zigzagoon, knocking him back, and right into Raboot’s waiting feet. Raboot kicks the Zigzagoon right back, and it tumbles to the floor in front of Wooloo, struggling to get back up to its feet.

“What are you lot doin’ here?” A soft voice interrupts, and you recognize it from earlier in the day. All heads turn to look at the girl with the pigtails who’s just joined you all.

“Marnie?!” The group of Team Yell members shouts at once.

“N-n-nothin’… We was just…” The one who first challenged you stutters out.

“I know you all are terribly curious ‘bout the other gym challengers, but you gotta show a bit of restraint,” Marnie lectures them, and you now have a name to tie to the face. “Sorry ‘bout them! They’re just a bunch of my fans. Call themselves Team Yell and follow me around, cheerin’ for me.” Marnie comes over to you and Hop and bows her head slightly. “I think they’ve let it all go to their heads a bit…” She turns back to the group. “Come on, you lot! Back home with you now!” She orders, and they all quietly do as they’re told and leave.

The other gym challengers who were just trying to check in cheer, and the hotel employee behind the desk sighs in relief. “Well they sure do go all out cheering for you.” You give Marnie a sympathetic look, and she sighs.

“They’re so caught up with wantin’ to support me and all that they tend to get a bit shirty with other gym challengers. Sorry if they caused you any trouble,” Marnie apologizes again to the two of you once Team Yell has left.

“So you’re a gym challenger, too? Team Yell, was it? Pretty impressive that you already have a set of fans to call your own!” Hop’s got a wide grin on his face as he throws both his arms behind his head.

Marnie nods and a small smile appears on her face. “I s’pose so,” she muses.

“I’m Hop! And I’m going to be the next Champion!” Hop’s able to launch into what has become his normal introduction at this point, and you suppress another groan.

“I’m Marnie, and I’m afraid you’re mistaken, because I’m gonna be the next Champion!” She argues back, and now you’re tempted to join in on this.

“Whoa whoa whoa, you’re both wrong, because I’m Kieran and I’M going to be the next Champion!” You add in as your greeting, and you and Hop both laugh while Marnie lets out a small chuckle.

Marnie excuses herself after, as she wants to get to her room. Marnie mentioning bed has reminded you how tired you are, and you’re ready to turn in for the night as well. Hop and Sonia join you, and you all head to your rooms together.

When you arrive in your own room, you take your time getting ready for bed. You have a bath, with Raboot sitting up on the counter, far away from the bath water, but still close enough to be near you. Rookidee perches on the edge of the tub, and you spend a while enjoying the hot water and their company. You carefully massage your sore muscles while you’re in there, especially the sore ankle on your good leg.

After drying off, wrapping your wound back up, and getting into your comfy pajamas, you sink into your bed with Raboot, Rookidee choosing the window again tonight, and fall asleep easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've already taken this story farther than I thought I would when I started. I'm incredibly proud of myself for sticking with this.  
> I had really hoped I'd get this finished in time to post on my birthday, but the fact that this took me the entire day to work on really helped me get through today. Or yesterday. Time is meaningless anyways. This is the longest chapter yet, and I am still not up to the morning of opening ceremonies. I can't believe that if I'd tried to fit that all in one chapter, it would have ended up over 9000 words. Almost would have been worth it for the meme.  
> My favourite character has finally made an appearance! It was fun to write this chapter. It was so well planned out that it went so smoothly to write, it was wonderful.  
> I can't believe I've made FRIENDS through this story even WHAT. Thank you all for reading and supporting me! These days keep getting harder and I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop here, my life is a stressful chaotic mess. Thank you for all the kind messages, this'll get easier once this is all over.


	19. Interlude Three

“Thanks for meeting me here, Hop,” Leon begins as Hop takes a seat at the table across from his brother.

“Of course, I just want to know what’s so important that you’re dragging me off to breakfast this early to talk about,” Hop complains as he rubs his eyes. The sun isn’t even up yet, and looking at Leon, Hop gets the suspicion Leon hasn’t slept yet. Knowing Leon and the crazy hours he has to pull in preparation for the gym challenge every year, Hop knows this is likely Leon’s supper, and that he’ll be going to bed for a few short hours before getting up and getting back to work.

Whatever it is that Leon wants to tell him, it’s important enough that it’s cutting into Leon’s sleep. “It’s about Kieran,” Leon begins. Of course it is, Hop thinks, she’s been badly injured.

When Leon doesn’t immediately continue, Hop grabs some of the food Leon’s had sitting at the table when Hop arrived. He finishes a few bites before he realizes he’s going to have to encourage Leon to go on. “What about her?”

“Hop, she almost died! I…” Leon’s voice cracks, and he takes a deep breath. “I need you to do a huge favour for me.”

Hop nods, “Sure, what is it?” Hop watches Leon rub his face with his hands and take another deep breath. “Have you slept at all since you rescued her?” Hop’s voice fills with worry at the state his brother seems to be in.

“No,” Leon’s honest with him, at least. “Hop… You can’t let her go alone out there, alright? I need you to travel with her. She doesn’t have the common sense we do from living here, and her Pokémon encourage her to be reckless. I need you to stay by her side and keep her safe.” Leon looks directly at Hop as he speaks, his voice pleading.

Hop’s taken by surprise, this wasn’t what he was expecting. “You want me to keep her safe?” He asks hesitantly.

“Yes, I would if I could, but we both know I don’t have that kind of luxury.” Leon sighs, leaning his head into his hands and resting his elbows on the table. He closes his eyes tiredly for a moment. “Please, no running off and leaving her behind. Actually travel with her.” Leon emphasizes, and Hop grimaces.

“Ok, ok, I get it. I’ll stay with her.” Hop goes back to eating, and Leon lets the conversation end there as he begins to eat as well. Leon’s words begin to sink in with Hop after a while, though, and Hop has a new question. “You think she’s still going to be able to do the Gym Challenge?”

Leon grins and chuckles lightly at that. “I’m sure she’s going to figure out a way how.” When Hop looks confused, Leon continues, “She’s determined, I doubt she’ll let this stop her.”

Hop grins at this as well, trusting Leon’s confidence. “I’ll go with her, then,” Hop answers as he grabs a muffin off the table.

“You might have to wait with her for a bit while she recovers, are you willing to do that? It might set you back in the Gym Challenge,” Leon warns, but Hop waves off his concern.

“Lee, I could have started the Gym Challenge two years ago. If I have to wait a little longer, so what? I… I would rather wait and do this with a friend, than do it alone.” Hop looks determined, and Leon smiles in relief.

“Thank you, Hop. You have no idea how much of a favour this is to me.” Leon collapses a little in relief, and begins digging into the food in earnest. Hop watches him for a moment before returning to eating as well.

He knows his brother tells him a lot, but he also knows there’s a lot his brother keeps from him. He’s worried this has to do with one of those things Leon’s hiding, but Hop knows this isn’t the time to be prying. He can pry later, when the Gym Challenge is underway and Leon has a bit more time. And more rest, Leon looks so tired.

The two brothers eat in silence, Leon excusing himself when he’s done. Hop stays and gets some more food from the front counter and feeds his Pokémon; if he’s up this early he might as well get in some training. Hop’s sure there’s going to be tons of strong trainers doing the gym challenge, and if his rival is still up for entering it this year, Hop wants to make sure his team is in good shape to take them on.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Throwing on only a pair of sweat pants so he was decent, Leon calls out for his partner Pokémon while running to the door, phone still to his ear. “Charizard, let’s go! We have an emergency!”

He’s on the phone with Kieran, who’s just told him she’s dying basically. Leon’s not sure he’ll even find her in time before she bleeds out, but he’s trying to be positive. She answers his earlier question. “I made a t-tourniquet,” comes her soft reply from the phone.

“Good,” Leon answers, climbing onto Charizard’s back and taking off. He has so many questions, but there’s no good way to ask them right now, not when she can barely talk. He needs her to focus her energy on not dying.

But… Why is she in the Wild Area? Where’s Hop? How did she even get in there? Shouldn’t the staff at the entrance have blocked her? He can surmise how she got injured, the Wild Area was not for unprepared Trainers like her, but he would like to know the full story.

Leon barely has to communicate with Charizard for him to know where to go, and he’s thankful for this. Leon’s always had better navigational skills in the sky, so steering Charizard in the right direction is easy from up here. He points Charizard off towards the lake as they fly over the gate to Motostoke.

It’s been a while since Leon’s heard anything from her end. “Are you still there?” He asks, worried she might have lost consciousness already, making her next to impossible to find out here. She will die; how will he be able to locate someone unconscious, when he barely knew where to look? She’ll be dead before he finds her.

Thankfully, Leon hears a weak grunt of affirmation from her end. He sighs with relief, glad she’s still conscious. He still has a chance to find her.

As Charizard continues his flight, Leon thinks he sees the forest she mentioned earlier. “I think I see the forest you were talking about, at least I hope it’s the right one. Which lake were you walking by?” He asks loudly, making sure his phone’s mic picks him up.

It’s a beat before Leon hears her respond, “Dunno.”

“Fuck,” Leon curses, gritting his teeth. How would he find her now? He doesn’t have the time to check both lakes; she’ll bleed out before then. Leon thinks fast, and knows he doesn’t have long while she’s still conscious. They’ll have a better chance of finding her if Leon has all his Pokémon searching for her, as they might be able to connect with her and figure out where she is. “Charizard, let’s find somewhere to land, get everyone searching for her,” he instructs.

Leon can only hope this is the right call. As Charizard flies lower in search of somewhere to land in the forest, he suddenly roars loudly in happiness, letting Leon know he’s connected to her and found her. “You know where she is? Brilliant!” Leon shouts, relief flooding him at how soon they were able to find her.

Charizard finds somewhere to land, and Leon jumps off his back. They begin searching for the girl, Leon following after Charizard. “I can hear you,” rasps her voice over the phone, so Leon knows they’re close. She tells him when he’s getting closer or further away, and combined with Charizard’s connection with her, they’re able to find her pretty quickly.

Leon almost misses her at first. “Leon,” she calls out weakly, and Leon hears it not just over the phone, but in his other ear, too. His head whips around, and he sees her there, huddled in a root against the tree he’s standing next to.

He drops down in front of her immediately. “Shit,” he whispers when he sees just how much blood she’s already lost. They don’t have a lot of time. “I got you.” He carefully picks her up, mindful of her injury, which makes him gag slightly upon seeing it when he shifts her.

Before he picks her up, she motions behind her and asks him to wait. There, tucked neatly under a root, Leon sees two Pokéballs, and he understands what she means immediately. She was trying to protect her own Pokémon, and she hid their balls to do so. He grabs the balls and tucks them into his pocket with his own, before finally picking her up.

“Charizard, let’s go!” He calls, and the massive Pokémon crouches down so Leon can climb on easier with his added burden. She passes out completely shortly after taking off. “Kieran? Kieran, are you still awake?” When she doesn’t respond he adds, “Shit!”

He eggs Charizard on to go faster, despite the risks. They don’t have enough time to take things slow and careful. Leon clings tightly to the girl, gripping Charizard with his other arm. Were they going to make it? Charizard flies over the large wall separating Motostoke from the Wild Area, making a beeline straight for the Center.

Landing outside, Leon jumps off Charizard, keeping a tight hold on Kieran. Shoving open the doors to an empty lobby, Leon shouts, “I have an emergency here!”

Quickly, staff jump to action. A narrow hospital bed on wheels is brought over, and Leon lays her down on it, before she’s wheeled away into the back. Leon follows after them, and either they’re too busy to stop him, or no one wants to because he’s the Champion and he just shouted emergency.

“What happened?” A doctor asks as she joins the running group, who are heading to the ICU Leon realizes as they push open a set of doors. She begins looking the girl over as they’re moving, obviously used to this.

“I’m not really sure myself,” Leon begins, before launching into what he did know about the situation.

“We’ll do everything we can,” the doctor informs, “but she’s lost a lot of blood.” Then, he’s separated from the group as they take her into an operating room to begin helping her. There’s no chairs out here, as this isn’t somewhere people are typically supposed to linger, but Leon leans against the wall regardless, sagging down to the floor.

He isn’t immediately sure what to do now. He could call his boyfriend, who he left behind in the hotel to go save Kieran, but he’s worried about Hop. So first, Leon calls his little brother, fear spiking when it goes straight to voicemail. Next is the hotel, who confirms Hop has not checked in. Then is his Mum, to see if she knew anything about where Hop could be or how Kieran ended up in the Wild Area. After that distressing phone call, Leon finally calls Raihan.

“Hop’s missing,” he begins before Raihan can even say hello.

“Shit, what happened?” Raihan asks, and Leon launches into the story once more. “Ok, breathe, Leon. We’re going to find him. He’s likely also in the Wild Area. We’ll organize a search party and begin looking for him immediately. Do you want me to deal with that for you?”

Leon wants to hug Raihan; he’s incredibly thankful for this lovely man. “Yes. Please. Help.” Leon feels like he’s drowning under all this, so he’s glad he can rely on Raihan to help him out. Raihan hangs up then to begin making calls, and Leon curls into a ball and cries on the floor.

No one’s around to see it, thankfully, but Leon doesn’t really care right in this moment. Someone who he’s in charge of protecting is dying in the next room, his baby brother is missing, and Leon feels helpless and hopeless in this situation. His sobs do die down eventually, leaving him with just tears streaming down his face as he stares out into space. He eventually sits up, leaning against the wall, and wipes his face as best he can on the backs of his hands.

A nurse comes by at some point, asking him what he’s doing here. When he explains, she offers to get him a shirt and slippers, and lead him to somewhere more appropriate to wait. He follows her, as he isn’t sure what else to do, and sits in a hard plastic chair while waiting for her to return with the items. It doesn’t take her long, and Leon throws on the scrub shirt and slides his feet into the slippers gratefully, feeling less exposed and therefore less embarrassed. The nurse hands him a small packet of wipes. “For your face,” she explains when he gives her a confused look.

Leon wipes his face properly, getting up to toss the wipe in a waste basin. He crashes back down into the hard chair, waiting silently for news. He frequently checks his phone, texting Raihan for updates every few minutes. Raihan does get a little short with him, because he’s wasting Raihan’s time, mostly.

Eventually, the doctor comes out, and she doesn’t look sad so Leon assumes she has good news. She explains the extent of Kieran’s injuries to him, and offers to lead him to the room she’ll be in to recover. Leon follows quietly, still too worried about Hop to be able to contribute anything.

She’s asleep still when he gets there, her bag sitting on a chair. Leon closes the door, giving her peace and quiet until she wakes up. He leans against the wall outside her room, answering his phone when it began to ring. He hopes she’ll wake up soon, so he can get answers from her about where his missing brother is.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Leon knocks on the hotel room door, double checking the number before doing so. He’s been looking for this room for about half an hour, and wandering around Motostoke for another hour before that. He’s sure Raihan is getting impatient. He’d got to Motostoke hours ago, and after meeting with Rose to go over some plans for Opening Ceremonies, he’d finally been released to go hunt down his boyfriend.

Sure enough, the door flies open immediately, and Leon is bodily pulled into the room, and into a deep hug. Leon quickly returns the hug, hearing the door swing shut behind him. He buries his head into Raihan’s shoulder and sighs deeply.

“I missed you,” Raihan whispers after a moment, running his long fingers through Leon’s thick hair.

“I can tell,” Leon tilts his head to gain access to Raihan’s neck, and plants a kiss against his pulse. “I missed you too.” He whispers when he feels Raihan shiver against him.

Raihan moans when Leon sucks against his pulse point, and Leon grins when he gets the reaction he wants out of his partner. Not to be outdone, Raihan leans down to sweep Leon off his feet, literally, to carry him to the bed. Leon grunts as he crashes into Raihan’s arms, only to be tossed to the bed as Raihan climbs on top of him.

“I see, we’re skipping right to the main course, eh?” Leon taunts from his back before Raihan claims his mouth in a searing kiss. Tongues dance as clothes begin flying off, only pulling away from each other to pull their shirts off. Clothes are tossed wherever, both men too engrossed in each other to care particularly about the mess.

Once fully naked, Leon takes advantage of Raihan’s momentarily distracted state. Leon knows what he does to Raihan, it isn’t like he’s unaffected by Raihan himself, but he has a mission. There’s always a fight for dominance between the two of them when they get passionate like this, and Leon’s not about to let himself lose this early on.

Leon uses his legs to trap Raihan’s between them, and pushes on Raihan’s left shoulder to topple him. Leon quickly uses his superior strength to flip himself on top of the dragon tamer.

“Playing dirty already, huh? Two can play this,” Raihan gives Leon a shit eating grin before slipping himself off the bed between Leon’s legs. He grabs Leon’s hips on the way down, and licks a strip up Leon’s half hard cock. Leon moans deliciously, and Raihan flips Leon when he climbs out from under Leon while he’s distracted.

“Oof, fuck,” Leon grunts as he flips back onto his back. He sits up and meets Raihan in another passionate kiss, but he resists Raihan trying to push him back onto the bed. When Raihan tries to climb onto the bed to use more of his weight in the struggle to get Leon on his back, Leon flips him right over his shoulders, and Raihan lands in the pile of pillows at the head of the bed.

Now completely vulnerable like this, Leon quickly leaps on top of his prey, pinning Raihan to the mountain of pillows. Raihan struggles briefly before realizing he’s properly pinned this time. “Damn, and I was-” Leon cuts Raihan off with his mouth as he shoves his tongue into Raihan’s mouth.

They make out while shifting into a more comfortable position. Raihan stops struggling, and lets Leon have his victory. He lays back while Leon’s mouth begins making its way down Raihan’s body. He leaves trails of kisses down Raihan’s neck, his collar bones, paying special attention to his nipples as Raihan’s chest arches into Leon’s touch.

Leon continues his way down Raihan’s body, avoiding the hard cock and instead opting to kiss down Raihan’s hip, to his thighs, leaving teasing nips as Raihan groans. “You’re such a fucking tease,” he complains breathlessly, hands coming to tangle into Leon’s hair. He tries to pull Leon towards his painfully hard cock, but Leon ignores his tugs.

A finger pokes at his entrance at the same time Leon finally licks up Raihan’s cock. He’s not sure when Leon got the lube out, but at this point in their relationship he knows better than to ask. Leon has his tricks he won’t share, both on the battle field and off. The finger enters him just as Leon takes Raihan’s cock into his mouth. Raihan moans loudly, throwing an arm over his face as he tightens his grip on Leon’s hair with the other.

Leon skillfully takes Raihan’s massive cock down. He’s not able to swallow all of it, but he does a rather impressive job. Raihan would never complain regardless, Leon’s skill alone with his tongue would forgive him if he could not also swallow like a god. Raihan knows he won’t last long like this, so he’s glad Leon is preparing him quickly. He feels a second finger enter him and he groans at the feeling.

There’s quickly a third as Leon begins bobbing on his cock, and Raihan has to give Leon’s hair a warning tug to get him to stop before he cums. Leon pulls off him with a pop, saliva and precum mixing and leaving a trail between Leon’s lips and Raihan’s cock.

Leon fingers Raihan a bit more, before Raihan is writhing. “Ready, fuck, fill me already,” Raihan begs, and Leon’s fingers disappear from his ass. He’s only momentarily disappointed at being empty before Leon’s cock is lining up with his entrance.

Leon climbs up over top of Raihan and plants a gentle kiss over his lips. Raihan wants to roll his eyes, Leon gets so sappy in bed, but he wouldn’t dare because he knows it would hurt Leon’s feelings. Instead, he kisses back just as softly, wrapping his arms around Leon and running his hands down Leon’s back.

“I love you,” Leon whispers with that look in his molten gold eyes that makes Raihan’s body go to jelly and his heart race.

“I love you too,” Raihan answers, and then Leon is pushing in. Raihan groans as he’s filled with Leon. The man is on the bigger side, but Raihan is well used to Leon’s size by this point. It isn’t hard to take him.

Leon moans sinfully as he bottoms out inside Raihan. “Let me know when,” he grunts as he lays some of his weight into Raihan. Raihan takes only a moment to adjust.

“Go,” he urges with a light smack to Leon’s ass. Leon lets out a gasp at the contact, and then grins wickedly. Go he does, he begins a rough pace that has Raihan crying out and grasping at the headboard for some stability.

Neither of them last long. They’re both too worked up, it’s been a few weeks since they’ve seen each other. Raihan cums first, moaning deeply as his cum lands on his and Leon’s stomachs. Leon is only a few thrusts behind, groaning into Raihan’s neck as he empties his load deep inside Raihan.

Both men lay there for a while, enjoying the afterglow, and too tired to move. Eventually, Leon becomes too heavy for Raihan, and he has to shove at the younger man to get him off. “Come on, let’s get cleaned up,” Raihan prompts with a shove at Leon’s shoulder.

Leon rolls over and off the bed, turning to offer Raihan help up. He doesn’t really need it, but Raihan takes Leon’s hand anyways. The two men have another round in the shower, before finally getting tired enough to actually settle down.

They’re cuddled on the bed, music playing softly from Raihan’s phone. Leon thinks it’s some of Piers’ stuff, but he doesn’t bother asking. He sits with his head on Raihan’s shoulder, his arms wrapped protectively around Raihan’s middle. Raihan has one hand tangled in Leon’s hair, and another trailing absentmindedly up and down Leon’s thigh.

“So how’s your little project from another world going?” Raihan speaks after a while, and Leon has to blink and ask Raihan to repeat himself, as he was dozing off.

“Oh, she’s good. She’s got some real talent as a trainer, I can see her going far. You know that little trick Red can do?” Raihan nods in confirmation, “she can do it too. She stands there silently, and her Pokémon battle without vocal or somatic commands.”

Raihan whistles in appreciation. “Haven’t you always wanted to fight a trainer like that?” Leon nods, and Raihan continues. “Sounds like someone I’d enjoy battling too. With you boasting like that, she better make it to my Gym.” Raihan looks off into the distance as he pictures a battle with someone who you can’t tell what they’re doing, or what their strategy is. They give nothing away, the ultimate opponent.

“I’m sure she will. I can’t see what could possibly stop her from completing the Gym Challenge.” Leon agrees, closing his eyes and snuggling further into Raihan. The larger man chuckles, and shifts the two into a more comfortable position, pulling the blankets up around them.

It’s already past midnight by the time they fall asleep. They don’t get much sleep, either, as Leon’s phone goes off a few hours later. Leon doesn’t stop to explain to Raihan as he throws on a pair of sweat pants, grabs his Pokéballs, and dashes out of the room.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Raihan has mixed feelings about Spikemuth. On one hand, it’s the hometown of his best and longest friend, Piers, who he loved dearly, so that automatically made it important.

On the other, he can no longer count how many times he’s been mugged here on his hands. Not that the muggers ever get far, as Raihan can _run_ , and his Pokémon are not afraid to rough people up a bit, but it’s the principle of the matter.

He’s retrieved his Rotom-phone from the hooligan who thought it a good idea to mess with him, and is back on track in this windy town to get to the location Piers told him to meet. They could be having sex, Piers could be practicing, there’s several options Raihan can think of for why Piers has summoned him to yet another random empty building here. There are a lot of them, after all. The ghost of a prosperity this town only once saw long before Raihan was born. Raihan’s only ever known it for the dilapidated hell-hole it is today.

Raihan knows Rose is cutting funding to this town because Piers moved his Gym here, but suspects funding was already limited before that. The whole reason Piers moved his Gym here was so this town could finally get a Center, instead of all its disabled citizens having to travel the long distance to Hammerlocke. Piers had hoped the loss in funding would be made up by the Gym Challenge attracting people to his town, but it hasn’t been enough.

The town, and its people, are suffering. Which is why it makes Raihan so uncomfortable to be here, because he has more money than he knows what to do with at times. Hammerlocke is a rich city, and he holds a high position of power there, and makes a lot of money to reflect that. He helps out Piers when he can, but Piers is a proud man. Raihan has to sneak cash into places Piers likes to hide his cash, adding small amounts at a time so as not to alert him to what he’s doing. Piers will never accept the help otherwise.

Which is why Raihan isn’t that surprised when the location he ends up at, where he’s to meet Piers, is the town soup kitchen. He heads in the back door – he’s done this so many times before – and rolls up his sleeves and grabs an apron. Piers waves him over when he sees him. “Short staffed again, and I can’t fuckin’ stand any longer. Sub in for me?” Piers begs, and Raihan can see the pain in his eyes.

He takes one of Piers’ trembling hands in his own. “Yeah babe, sure,” Raihan assures, leading Piers out the back. He pulls out a joint as Raihan sits him down on a pile of boxes, lighting it when Raihan steps away.

“I’m one o’ the line cooks today,” Piers informs him as he blows out a puff of smoke, away from Raihan. Not that it helps, the smell is still pretty awful.

“Got it, I’ll head back in then and get to work.” Raihan has helped out here countless times now. He manages to slip the manager a wad of cash as a donation while Piers is out, so Piers won’t yell at him. The manager knows, and she tucks the money away in a lockbox, thanking him profusely. He then gets to work, washing and chopping vegetables, performing whatever tasks are asked of him to help prepare the meals for all the people who needed them. Which was most of Spikemuth at this point.

Piers rejoins about an hour later, fully functional. Raihan’s always amazed at how little being high affects Piers at this point. They work side by side, Raihan keeping a careful eye out for errors, but Piers makes none, his mind focused on the task in front of him now that he’s no longer in as much pain.

After a few more hours, the cleanup begins, and Piers uses that time to sneak Raihan off. “Sorry, I know this was supposed to be a date night,” Piers mentions, not sounding that sorry.

“I’m used to this, at this point. Nothing to apologize for. I like helping out.” Raihan shrugs, not overly bothered by things. He feels more at ease beside Piers, as no one here will fuck with the man, and his shoulders drop from his shrug into a more relaxed position.

“Thanks. Appreciate it.” Piers takes his hand, and Raihan links their fingers together.

“Anytime. You know that,” Raihan returns, and Piers looks up at him, giving him a soft smile that was fuzzy around the edges.

They walk hand in hand to some empty building, Piers leading them in through an unlocked door. Inside is dark, and Raihan has to turn on the torch function on his phone in order to see. “What are we doing in here?” He asks, following after Piers further into the building.

“Mar’s home,” comes Piers’ answer, and Raihan has to sigh.

“So you dragged me out here to fuck me? I feel honored,” he jokes, also used to this. Piers doesn’t like having sex when his little sister was around, and Raihan can’t really blame him. It was just easier to do it in these random buildings, and a little thrilling, too. Raihan still preferred his own bed, or a hotel bed, but this would do in a pinch.

“Ya should, I could still nap on ya,” Piers threatens, and Raihan lets out a laugh.

“Oh yeah, please don’t fall asleep on me during sex. Again.” He can’t wipe the grin off his face, and Piers shoots him a frown.

“How many times do ya want me t’ apologize for that?” Piers asks, sounding embarrassed.

“None! I just like pushing your buttons, love,” Raihan teases, grabbing Piers’ hand again. He doesn’t pull away, so Raihan takes this as a good sign that he hasn’t pushed things too far yet.

Piers leads him upstairs, where there’s a room with a couch that looks like it’s seen better days. Piers leads him over to it, however, so Raihan doesn’t make any objections. Piers is going to be the one bent over naked on this disgusting thing, anyways, not him.

“How do you want me?” Piers asks, beginning to take off his clothes.

“Bend over the arm of the couch for me, will you? Did you bring lube?” Raihan also begins undressing, cursing himself for not bringing lube or condoms. He was usually so prepared for this kind of thing.

“Nah, forgot that shit, we can continue without though. I’m fine with that,” Piers informs him, only removing his pants down to his ankles, his boots still on over top.

“If you’re sure,” Raihan intones, slightly worried. He never likes doing it dry like this, as he always worries too much that he’s hurting Piers. With someone random, he wouldn’t care, but a man he loves? It’s hard, and he has the same struggles with Leon, as well.

Running a hand up Piers’ spine from his tailbone, Raihan makes the man bend forward, further exposing his ass for Raihan’s viewing pleasure. He squeezes and kneads at the flesh, listening to Piers’ moans as he throws his head forward, resting it against his arms. Raihan’s thumbs come up near Piers’ puckered asshole, and he runs them along it, watching it twitch beneath his fingers.

“You like this, don’t you?” Raihan taunts, squeezing harder on the ass of the man under him.

“Yes!” Piers answers, his voice airy and light.

Raihan dips one finger into Piers’ ass, testing the waters. Piers cries out, but it doesn’t sound like he’s in pain at all. Slipping his thumb in to the first knuckle, Raihan wiggles it around before pushing it in further, continuing his assault on the meat of Piers’ ass.

The pale man under him ruts himself back against Raihan’s hand, and this causes the Dragon tamer to moan. Watching Piers fuck himself is hot as hell, and Raihan’s beginning to get hard. He adds his other thumb, causing Piers to cry out again, and begins stretching Piers’ ass.

Watching the way Piers’ ass stretches between his fingers gives Raihan an idea. If he really wants to prepare Piers properly, he can only think of one thing to do it. He crouches down, his face level with Piers’ ass, and he licks around the edge of Pier’s hole.

The Dark Trainer moans loudly, and begins begging, “Please! Oh Raihan, please!”

Normally, Raihan would tease the man back, asking him to elaborate on what he needs, forcing Piers to word his needs. But Raihan already knows them, and knows exactly what his partner needs. That, and his tongue is kind of busy right now. Licking again, he pulls his thumbs apart and stuffs his tongue into the hole they made.

Piers moans loudly and with abandon, devolving into gibberish as Raihan works his long tongue into Piers’ ass. As his tongue explores his partner’s insides, Raihan thinks about his situation. He’s technically cheating on Leon by doing this. Leon doesn’t know about Raihan’s side relationship with Piers, though Piers knows about Leon.

Deciding that isn’t something he wants to think about right now, he focuses on Piers’ ass, and prepping the man for anal. With his thumbs still hooked in his hole, Raihan begins stretching it further, making sure Piers can take Raihan’s larger cock inside him without too much pain. They are doing this dry, so Raihan wants to take every precaution.

Raihan pulls one of his hands away to begin stroking himself, getting himself ready to enter Piers. With his other hand, he continues stretching Piers, feeling how loose he’s getting. He’s almost ready, so Raihan pulls his face away, stuffing more fingers inside his partner to make up for the loss of his tongue.

Freer to focus on himself, Raihan pumps himself until he’s at full mast, eager to get inside of the man before him. He pulls his fingers out, and spits on his cock, doing his best to lube it up that way. “Ready, babe?” Raihan asks, waiting for confirmation from Piers before going further.

“Yeah, just fuck me already!” Piers complains, wiggling his ass to entice Raihan further. With a low growl, Raihan lines himself up with his partner before pushing into the tight ring of muscle. Piers cries out, more in pain than before, and Raihan leans around him.

“Shh, love, I’m sorry, I know this hurts,” he soothes, kissing up Piers’ neck.

“It ain’t that bad.” Piers is a trooper, Raihan will give him that. With one of his hands, he tilts Piers’ head so he can kiss the man, and with the other he continues to hold Piers by the hips, pressing his cock inside further slowly.

Piers moans into the kiss, getting used to the stretching burn he feels as Raihan fills him. Soon, he’s enjoying it, begging Raihan, “Just fill me already!” As one always eager to oblige, Raihan picks up the pace, pressing himself further into Piers until he’s to the hilt.

“Fuck, you feel good,” Raihan praises, as he begins pulling out. Piers groans at the action, kissing Raihan on the lips passionately. The taller man begins to set a rhythm, sliding in and out of Piers with more ease as they go and Piers relaxes more.

“Oh fuck, Rai, this feels so good,” Piers whispers against his partner’s lips, panting heavily as he tries to catch his breath.

“It does, doesn’t it? You’re so tight, love~” Raihan coos, his hand running through Piers’ hair. He trails it all the way through, right down to Piers’ ass, before grabbing that. He gives it a good squeeze before pulling his hand away and slapping his partner’s ass lightly.

Piers squeaks at first, unprepared, but moans on the next hit. Raihan continues thrusting, going faster, filling Piers to the brim with his massive cock. “I’m… I’m gettin’ close!” Piers announces, one of his hands travelling down to begin touching himself.

“Yeah, baby, cum for me!” Comes Raihan’s instructions, his rhythm faltering as he begins getting close himself. With a breathy moan, Piers is the one to cum first, spilling his seed all over the well-used couch. Raihan follows not long after, as Piers’ ass convulses on his cock, milking him of his release.

Panting and out of breath, Raihan lets his weight settle over Piers for a while, until Piers voices his complaints. “Get off, can’t breathe.” The taller man pulls himself up, sliding out of Piers in the process with a slick sound. They clean up using Raihan’s shirt, as the man pulls his sweatshirt back over his bare body. He tucks the balled up fabric in his pocket, helping Piers up from the couch.

They head back to Piers’ place to enjoy some cuddling and snacks, turning the TV on but not really watching. Raihan ends up spending the night, leaving for Motostoke and to help with the Opening Ceremonies the next morning, well aware he was going to have to face his boyfriend after fucking another man.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“Wait, you make it sound like I- or you I guess, were injured before?” The girl on the bed pipes up for the first time in a while, she’d been listening quietly to the story so far.

“That’s right,” The man in the chair says, and he reaches behind the chair to grab a cane leaning against the wall. He holds it up and wiggles it in the air. “Since I was a kid. Sure would have made doing the Gym Challenge here a real bitch if they made me do it the right way.”

The girl on the bed nods. “So they gave you accommodations?”

“What? No, I was able to take advantage of a rule you weren’t. I’ve done something that counts as a Gym Challenge before, so I didn't have to redo Galar’s. YOU still had a hell of a time of it,” he explains, “I’m still fighting the fight you started, to make Galar’s league more accessible. Could always use the help, when you get out of here.”

She nods again and is quiet for a moment, fiddling with her hands. “So that scar on my leg… That’s from the Wild Area? Is that why it’s still weak?”

“Yeah, I know the doctor said it was damage caused from the way you’ve been living these last two years, but he doesn’t know who you are. I haven’t told anyone else yet. He doesn’t know about your previous injury.” The man sits up and looks at the girl, waiting for her to meet his eyes. “It’ll be your decision, when I’m done telling your story, who you want knowing about your past.”

The girl looks confused. “Why wouldn’t I want people knowing who I am?”

“You’ll understand once I’m done.” he sits back and gets comfy once more. “Now, shall I continue? Or would you like a break?”

“Continue, please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On Friday, March 13, my Grandpa passed away. He'd been fighting cancer for years. On Wednesday, I got to say my final goodbyes to him. This has been a turbulent, emotional time for me and my family. He was the pillar of our family, and it's been incredibly hard to watch him deteriorate so quickly in front of our eyes these last 2 weeks. This is on top of everything else going on, my disaster of a life, and the world freaking out about toilet paper and hand sanitizer as COVID-19 spreads. We can't even have a funeral right now. I have not even been able to really grieve.  
> I actively fear for my life, I am one of the at risk groups of dying to COVID-19. I'm self isolating and praying I don't catch it. The health care system where I am is not prepared.
> 
> On BRIGHTER news though, as I'm getting close to the actual gym challenge where it's been mentioned there's lots of other challengers, I thought I'd put it out there for anyone who'd like to include trainers with teams in this. I'm far too lazy to make a bunch myself, and I thought that people reading might enjoying seeing trainers they've made with teams of Pokémon they love in this. Getting beaten, of course. If you've got Gym Trainers or Gym Challengers you would like me to include, you can tell me about them over discord (I'm MightyMage#8983), or comment below with some way I can reach you. Or just tell me about them in the comments too, but then it's harder for me to ask you if I need to change something. And I'd REALLY like some Team Yell characters because referring to them so blankly was painful for me. Please send me your trainers.
> 
> Thank you everyone for all the support. I hope you enjoyed this two-parter interlude. You didn't forget about those two people from the prologue, did you?


	20. Chapter Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back babeyy

You run into Hop in the lobby in the morning. He’s practicing throwing his Pokéball, and you’re reminded of what Leon said to Hop about his obsession with this. A laugh bubbles out of you before you can stop it, and this brings Hop’s attention to you. He looks slightly embarrassed, so you shake your head.

“No, no, I just remembered what Leon told you about worrying about how you throw your Pokéball.” This seems to bring a smile back to Hop’s face as he walks over to you.

“That’s easy for him to say, he’s already so cool! I have to be at least as cool as him before I become the next Champion!” Hop’s launched into his ever-exaggerated movements, and you laugh at his exuberance.

“I think you’re already very cool, how about we go get some breakfast? Raboot is starving!” You switch the topic when Raboot begins feeling antsy about his hunger being ignored.

Hop laughs as he scratches the back of his head. “Sure! There’s this café Lee took me to yesterday that had really good food, I’ll take you there!” Hop helps you down the stairs, and leads you and your Pokémon out into Motostoke in search of food.

The café is a quaint little thing tucked away by some warehouses, and it’s pretty empty this morning. You let Hop order for you and your Pokémon, as he’s had the food, so he’ll know what’s good. There’s enough food to require multiple trays, so Raboot helps carry one for Hop. You’d offer, but you have to hang on to your walker.

You pick a table near the window, and Hop lets his Pokémon out to feed them while you begin feeding yours. Hop launches into talking about your team battle last night, recapping his favourite moments. “Oh, and when you pointed out that line? Ace, mate. They just took each other right out, it was such a brilliant move!”

“Double battles offer so much more strategy, I think they’re even better than single battles. And working together too, being on a team, that just made it even better!” You’re just as excited about it as he is, and you share in the glory of such a satisfying victory.

“Yeah! Lee’s always complained about them, but I think you’re right. I’d like to try a double battle on my own to see if it’s just as fun as when we worked together.” Hop’s teasing of Leon causes you to laugh, though you wonder why he doesn’t like double battles.

You’re both grinning ear to ear as you talk. You’d had such a good time in that battle, it really felt like you and Hop were on the same page and battling as one. “That was the most fun I’ve ever had in a battle. I can’t wait to battle on your team again!” You say as much when Hop has finished his recap.

Hop blushes a bit. “Me too, mate! We make the best team! We’d be unstoppable together!” Hop begins coming up with some battle strategies for the next time you’re on a team, and you both lose track of time talking about it.

It’s when your Pokémon begin getting into mischief in their boredom that you and Hop realize you should probably get going and get on with your day. Hop wants to get some battle practice in against all the Gym Challengers that are hanging around, and you want to practice walking some more without your walker.

It’s easy enough to find Gym Challengers, and you and Hop both get in plenty of battling experience while you wander around Motostoke. You’re nervous about your first battle with the walker, but it turns out that it’s pretty easy to stand and focus on battling when you can use the walker for support. You both win every battle, but some are pretty close. It’s a nice ego boost to know you’re both already ahead of the competition. You know you can’t use the walker on the pitch though, so you get in some practice walking without the walker too. It’s difficult and exhausting, so you and Hop have to take breaks for you when you do.

You’re both sitting on a bench for a break while your Pokémon run around. “Hey, think anyone would notice if I’m helping you stand up during Opening Ceremonies?” Hop asks suddenly, and you have to think for a moment.

“I’m not sure, I don’t even know what Opening Ceremonies are like. I’ve never seen one,” you reply honestly, and Hop purses his lips in thought for a moment.

“I think we’d be ok. Most people’s attention is going to be on the Gym Leaders and Rose, not really on us. We can try, right?” Hop looks at you with a small smile, and you nod.

“It’s worth a shot, sure.” Hop gets a determined look on his face at your confirmation, and he stands up and grabs your hands, pulling you up quickly. You barely have time to register what’s just happened before Hop’s thrown your left arm around his shoulders, and wrapped his right arm around your waist. He holds you tight so you don’t fall over, and a blush rises to your cheeks against your will.

You must be shaking or something, because Hop speaks softly right next to your ear, “Don’t worry, I got you, mate.” You’re not used to hearing his voice so soft and quiet like this, and it makes your heart thud in your chest. You’re sure your face is noticeably red at this point, but if Hop notices, he doesn’t say anything.

Hop lets you set the pace. It’s harder to walk with Hop than it is with the walker, but it’s still much easier than walking on your own. Every time you step from your better right leg to your injured left leg, Hop tightens his grip on you and tries to take on more of your weight. It’s a big help, and you have a minimal limp with his aide.

You make it quite far, and Raboot brings over your walker when you’re ready to take a break. When you separate from Hop, you notice he’s blushing too, and you at least feel better that you weren’t the only one. Raboot and Grookey make their hunger known then, so Hop begins searching for good places to get lunch on his phone while you sit and recover.

Sonia texts the two of you to see what you’re up to while Hop is searching, so you agree to meet with her for lunch. Leon is too busy to join the three of you, but Hop explains that he’s got a lot on his plate putting on Opening Ceremonies. You find the restaurant Sonia told you to meet her at easily enough, and Hop kindly holds the door open for you.

Sonia is sitting at the back, and she waves you over. After you all order food, Hop begins telling Sonia about your plans on how to enter the Gym Challenge together. “Hmm, that sounds like it would work to me,” Sonia affirms when Hop has finished, and this causes him to grin. “Not a lot of people are going to be paying attention to you two specifically when there’s lots of other Gym Challengers. Besides, you two are friends, if anyone said anything, you could pass it off as comforting each other or something.” Hop turns to look at you and only grins wider, and you can’t fight the grin that spreads across your face in return.

“See? This is really happening! We’re really going to make it through Opening Ceremonies!” Hop sounds so excited, and you laugh softly in joy at the prospect of it. You’re really going to be able to do this with Hop!

The topic turns to Sonia’s research after that. “It’s so frustrating! There’s next to nothing about the relics, and there’s so many different ones across Galar. So everything is spread out in bits and pieces in different books. Ugh, my head hurts from all the reading I did this morning.” Sonia rubs her temples as she leans her elbows on the table. You give her a sympathetic look.

“Sounds like you need a break,” you offer, and she smiles and nods.

“I do. I’m gonna spend some time with Nessa later, so I do have a break planned.” Sonia twirls a strand of her hair in her fingers and her smile takes on an almost fuzzy feeling as she spaces out for a moment.

“But it sounds like you’re onto something big, Sonia!” Hop says after a moment when it becomes clear Sonia isn’t continuing.

“I don’t know, I sure hope so. Would make a bloody convenient thesis, that’s for sure.” You can’t tell if she’s being sarcastic about that or not with her tone. “Sure would be a pain in the arse to research… Ugh…” She sighs, and you think she was probably not being sarcastic.

“Does Motostoke have the best library in Galar, or are there others that might have more of what you’re looking for?” You ask, and she looks surprised for a moment, before her face lights up like she has an idea.

“No, actually. Hammerlocke’s library is the largest in Galar, and has most of the older text works found in Galar. I should call Raihan, he’d know if there’s anything there that could help me.” Sonia looks happier now that she has a plan of action, and lunch wraps up with everyone leaving in high spirits.

Sonia pays for everyone’s meals, and takes no complaints. When Hop begins whining about how Leon gave him money for things like this, Sonia just waves her hand flippantly in front of his face and ignores him. You remember to thank her, though, and she heads off to call Raihan while you and Hop wander off into Motostoke.

“So what do you want to do now, mate?” Hop asks as he throws his hands behind his head. You’ve both got all your Pokémon out still, so you’re walking slowly so Hop can keep an eye on all three of his.

You shrug. “No idea. I’m normally just getting up, like, now. And we already did all the things I wanted to do today. I don’t know what normal people do with their days,” you respond, and Hop laughs. “Besides, I’ve never been to Motostoke before, I don’t know what fun things there are to see and do around here.”

You’re hoping Hop will offer to take you on a tour or something, but he just sighs. “Me neither. I’ve only been a few times, and it’s always to go see Lee’s matches. I’ve never really seen more of Motostoke until now, either.” You nod at the explanation and frown.

“So then what do we do?” You ask, and it’s Hop’s turn to shrug. You both stop and look at each other for a moment, before bursting into laughter at this. You decide to just explore Motostoke together, and see what you find. The map on your phones is practically useless for navigating around, and it makes you miss the complex, detailed map apps on phones from where you’re from.

It’s hard to get truly lost, though. You can always see the clock tower, no matter where you are, so you keep that as a landmark to navigate around. Hop is impressed by your sense of direction and navigation skills, and he trusts you to lead. You’re reminded he’s had to deal with Leon’s poor sense of direction his whole life, no wonder your skills seem impressive next to that.

You two manage to find some interesting stores, and your Pokémon all have a great time exploring the city with you. You do more battling as well, though not as much, as your main focus is on exploring this city.

“It’s so much bigger than Wedgehurst, and everything’s on different levels. It’s so cool here.” You’re explaining to Hop during dinner. You two managed to find a restaurant that serves one of your favourite dishes, so naturally you had to drag Hop into it.

All the slow walking around the city has been great practice for your leg, but it has left you completely exhausted. Hop suggests turning in early for the night, so that you can rest up for Opening Ceremonies tomorrow. You begin navigating back to the hotel, and you and Hop run into Leon, who’s completely lost, on the way back.

“Hey Lee, they let you off early tonight?” Hop calls out to his brother when you see him. He jogs over with a tired grin, and up close you can see the bags under his eyes.

“Yeah, everything’s ready now. I’m just trying to get back to the hotel to sleep.” He closes his eyes and sighs, and Hop rubs his arm comfortingly.

“Good thing we know the way back, eh?” Hop teases lightly, and Leon offers him a small smile. Though Leon walks with you, he remains quiet, and Hop has to keep grabbing him as he spaces out and begins wandering off. Hop gets a worried look on his face every time, but when you look at him and quirk your eyebrow to get an explanation, Hop just mouths the word “later” to you.

At the hotel, Leon wishes you both a good night, and immediately heads off to his room. Hop invites you to hang out in his room for a few hours, and you happily accept his offer. You crash onto his bed as soon as you get in, the exhaustion leaving you sprawled there even as Hop begins bumbling around his room. Hop just laughs, and eventually comes to join you on the bed. He has to push and pull your limbs to make room for himself, but he eventually tugs you into a more comfortable position.

As your Pokémon all begin to join the two of you on the bed, you and Hop have to cuddle closer to make room for them. Hop puts the TV on for them, but has no interest in watching it himself. Neither do you, so you and Hop talk about battling and the Opening Ceremonies, and whatever else comes to mind for hours. You may be exhausted physically, but you’re really not ready for sleep, so the conversation helps you grow tired enough to do so.

There’s some slower paced fantasy movie on, and most of your Pokémon have fallen asleep around you. Wooloo is the only one left awake, and Hop absentmindedly pets him while the two of you quietly talk. You’re both growing more tired, so your voices are hushed. You’re both pressed up against each other, and Hop has one arm around you as you lean back into his side.

Your eyes begin feeling heavy, and you close them as some princess dances with a Pokémon on the TV. Soft waltz music plays, and you don’t even realize when sleep has taken you, your dreams filled with soft music and princes and princesses and dancing. Hop, Leon, and even Sonia all make appearances in a dream you can barely remember when you wake up.

And waking up is quite interesting too. Your face is smooshed into Hop’s shoulder, and your arms are both wrapped around each other. Your legs are all tangled together under the sheets, and the Pokémon surrounding you keep you trapped in this position. When it sinks in, your face goes beet red, and you’re glad that even if Hop was awake he would not be able to see from his position. He’s still softly snoring though, so even though your instincts shout at you to get up and away, you enjoy this warmth and the safe feeling of being wrapped in his arms for a little longer.

When Hop wakes up though, he immediately jolts away from you when he’s realized. You catch how red his face is before he bolts off to the washroom with a quietly squeaked “sorry”. Embarrassment begins to sink in now that it’s over, and you quickly collect your belongings and wake your Pokémon. You’re out of the room before Hop is up. You text him that you’re going to shower and get ready so he at least knows where you are when you’re back in your room.

You change your bandages after your shower, and you realize you forgot to change them last night. You hope it'll be fine, you were sure to clean your wound well in the shower to make up for it, despite how much it still hurt to wash. You quickly finish getting ready, and head down to the lobby to meet Hop.

“Morning!” You call to him as you get out of the elevator. He turns around, and you catch a faint blush on his cheeks as he looks momentarily caught off guard. He quickly recovers and his face cracks into a bright grin.

“So this is it… Now my legend really begins!” Hop crosses his arms over his chest, and there’s that light swimming in his eyes that he gets before a battle.

“Opening Ceremonies… I’m so excited!” You smile back at Hop, and Raboot and Rookidee both trill in agreement with you.

“Watch out, mate! I’ll beat you to Motostoke Stadium!” Hop shouts, before turning around and bolting out of the hotel.

“Hop, wait!” You call after him, but he doesn’t turn around. It’s not completely unlike him to just run off, but he’s left you here stranded at the top of the stairs at the hotel. You sigh, and your shoulders sag. Hop ditching you hurts, and you have to blink repeatedly to chase off the tears that threaten to fall. You wonder if he’s acting strange because of this morning.

“Need a hand?” A quiet voice says right beside you while you’re lost in thought, and it causes you to jump. Marnie’s managed to sneak up right beside you while you weren’t paying attention, and upon realizing who it is, your face relaxes into a relieved smile.

“Yes, thank you, I’d really appreciate that!” She nods and takes your arm, and helps you down the stairs.

Marnie continues walking with you once you’re both outside the hotel. She could probably walk much faster, but she keeps your slow pace beside you. “So the Gym Challenge is finally startin’.” She breaks the silence after a while.

“Yeah, I’m kind of nervous, I hope I’ll do well.” You tell her your honest feelings, as you don’t quite have that bravery you used to brag about yourself the other night when you introduced yourselves.

She gives you a sympathetic look, but her words are much less sympathetic. “I’d wish ya luck, but I’m afraid I’m goin’ ta be the one ta win.” You admire her confidence, she seems so cool.

“I can’t wait to face you in the finals, I’m sure you’ll be a tough opponent to beat!” It’s the closest you can get to a brag this morning; it’s definitely something you need to work on.

“You too,” she responds, and the two of you lapse into silence. Her Morpeko is walking with Raboot, and it sounds like they’re having a lively discussion on food. You and Marnie both listen to them on the way to the stadium. “It’s nice to see Morpeko make a friend.” You almost don’t catch it, she speaks it so softly. You only offer her a warm smile, as you’re not sure what to say.

The lobby is packed with Gym Challengers and Pokémon, and there’s a ton of people filing into doors up to the stands. You’re not able to get very far in, as a man with a bright purple jacket is standing in the middle of the way, and you can’t get your walker past him. “Excuse me,” you call out to him, but he doesn’t move.

Marnie then steps up to him and taps him on the shoulder to get his attention. “Uh, ‘scuse us,” she says, and the man startles.

When he whirls around, you recognize him as the man who rudely pushed past Hop when you were signing up for the Gym Challenge. “I was endorsed by the chairman himself,” he begins, immediately launching into a speech. “In other words, among those elite enough to get an endorsement, I’m the most elite of all. So why don’t you clear off and not try talking to me again, would you? It’s positively criminal of you, wasting the time of someone as important as I am.”

“Ok, I just need ya ta take two steps thata way. No need ta make an arse of yourself,” Marnie responds bluntly, and you can’t stifle the laugh that spurts out of you in time. The man looks positively offended, but then runs a hand through his hair and stalks off. Marnie covers her mouth with her hands and you see her shoulders shake in what might be a laugh, you can’t really hear over all the noise of the lobby. She recovers and parts ways with you as she heads to the front desk, and you go searching for Hop.

Hop is easy enough to find, as he comes charging over to you. “Took you long enough,” he teases with a grin, and you frown.

“You left me stranded at the top of the stairs, Hop! You just ran off and left me there!” It comes out a little more emotionally than you intend it to, and Hop throws his arms up and looks alarmed.

“Oh, mate, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking, and I forgot about the walker.” He’s quick to launch into an apology, and he looks genuinely sorry. His expressive face quickly changes as the smile falls from his face and guilt fills his eyes.

You sigh, your shoulders sagging again. “I forgive you. But it better not happen again, ok? I need your help until I can walk properly again. Please don’t abandon me.”

Hop steps up and wraps you in a hug. “It won’t. I told you I’d wait with you, and I intend to keep that promise.” He lets go quickly, and steps back again, and you briefly catch the blush on his face before he ducks away.

“What promise?” You don’t remember Hop making you a promise about waiting, but about finishing the Gym Challenge this year no matter what.

Hop changes the topic though. “Have you got your uniform from the front desk yet? We should go get changed for Opening Ceremonies soon.”

“Oh, no, I haven’t yet.” You shake your head, and Hop gestures for you to follow him up to the counter.

The attendant at the desk is quick to point out your walker. “I thought you said that was temporary.” It’s the same one who registered you and Hop, but thankfully Hop launches into the explanation for you.

“It is, she won’t use it on the pitch today, don’t worry.” He crosses his arms, and the attendant takes a deep breath like he’s already tired of his job. You recognize that weary customer service look, and you feel a pang of sympathy for him. Gym Challengers have probably been giving him a hard time all morning.

“I’m here to collect my uniform,” you tell him. He’s quick to retrieve it and waves you off so he can deal with the next person behind you. “Thank god for done with this shit customer service representatives,” you mutter as you tuck your uniform into your bag. Hop raises his eyebrow at you, and you try your best to explain what you mean on the way to the change rooms.

You’re initially surprised there’s only one, and that there are no gendered change rooms. It’s a nice change though, you’re certainly not going to complain, as there are individual stalls to change in for privacy. Hop has to help you navigate the walker through the narrow corridors of the change room, so you’re glad you didn’t have to split up and try to do this alone in a separate change room from him.

Hop helps you into a stall, as there isn’t enough room for the walker in it, and he takes the stall beside yours. He changes much quicker than you do, as you’re fighting with an injury. You pull your uniform out of your bag, and run your hands over your embossed name and number on the back of the jersey. It’s a nice material, and as you pull it on it feels perfectly comfortable against your skin. Ok, you’re beginning to see how Leon can wear these so often.

The shorts, however… They’re very short, and combined with the socks they give you that only go up to your mid-calf when you pull them up as much as they can go, they show off a lot of leg. And a lot of bandages. You feel incredibly self-conscious, as it looks pretty bad. You tug on the shorts in an attempt to get them to hide more as you open the stall door.

Hop’s pretty quick to push your walker to you, and he catches you when you stumble into it. “Looking good, mate!” Hop exclaims with a grin as he rights you. You take a look at him, and immediately notice that he has significantly longer shorts.

“How come you get the longer shorts?” A pang of jealousy surges through you, and you can’t help that the first thing out of your mouth is that.

“Oh, I think they always give the girls the shorter ones. You could probably trade, would you like me to ask?” Hop looks concerned again, and you can imagine he’s figured out why you’re upset. You nod to him, and he jogs off. You sit down on a bench while you wait, running your fingers through Rookidee’s feathers absentmindedly.

Hop comes dashing back after a few minutes. “I have good news, and bad news,” he begins, and you sigh and gesture for him to continue. “Good news is they can totally get you a long pair. Bad news is you’re gonna have to wait, they can’t get it ready in time for Opening Ceremonies. They have to print your number on the shorts and they can’t do that today.”

Well, it’s not the worst. You just have to survive Opening Ceremonies. Hopefully with all the other Gym Challengers, no one really pays any attention to your leg. You take a deep breath. “Thanks Hop, I appreciate it. By the way, you look good too. I meant to say so before.” You feel bad for reacting jealously earlier, and Hop really does look good in that uniform.

Hop blushes, and ducks his head as he scratches the back of his it with his hand. “Uh, thanks mate.” He coughs abruptly into his hand and straightens up. “I can’t wait for the first match! Pretty soon I’ll have so many fans, I’ll have to fight them off like Lee does!”

“Whoa there, we haven’t even gone through Opening Ceremonies, and you’re already imagining your first match?” You tease, and he laughs with you. Things feel normal again for the first time since waking up wrapped up in each other’s arms, and you’re glad the awkwardness of the situation has dissipated.

Hop stashes both your belongings in one of the lockers. You’re only allowed to take your Pokémon in their Pokéballs out onto the pitch, so you both have to leave your bags behind. You’re sure to take your Pokémon’s Pokéballs out of your bag before you hand it to Hop. You tuck them in your pocket, as you don’t have to put your Pokémon into them just yet.

You and Hop head back to the lobby to wait until the start of Opening Ceremonies. Hop manages to find a space on a bench where you can both sit, and he lets his Pokémon out of their Pokéballs to play until Opening Ceremonies start. With the amount of Pokémon around, there’s lots of other Pokémon for yours and Hop’s Pokémon to play with. You end up watching them, and talking with the Trainers who own them. Some of them you battled against yesterday, and it’s a nice experience for the Pokémon to get to play together after having battled each other.

Marnie joins you at some point, and you get to meet her Scraggy and Croagunk as well. You find watching them incredibly amusing, as it’s interesting to be able to _feel_ how yours and Hop’s Pokémon feel about other Pokémon. It’s even more interesting when you can connect with other Pokémon, and _feel_ how they feel about your own Pokémon. This leads you to tuning out a lot of the actual conversation going on around you, as finding out more about these incredible creatures has you totally enraptured right now.

The time flies before they start letting Gym Challengers into the back. As everyone begins recalling their Pokémon, you’re stuck with trying to get Raboot to cooperate. He doesn’t want to go in his ball, so he’s jumping around and dodging the laser. Hop only gives you a look that lets you know he wants to rub this in your face.

“Oh don’t, don’t start, just help me,” you glare at him, and he cracks into laughter at your expense. You don’t find this situation funny at all, in fact it’s quite distressing to have to force Raboot into his ball when you can _feel_ just how much he hates it.

Nonetheless, he grabs Raboot and helps you calm him down enough to get back into his ball. Most of the Gym Challengers have left by now, so you and Hop are some of the last challengers through the doors. The staff stop you at the doors and ask you to leave your walker at the desk.

It’s frustrating, you had hoped you could hang onto it until you actually had to step out onto the pitch. Before you can make any complaints, however, Hop’s stepped up beside you and wrapped his arm around your waist. He leans towards you and whispers into your ear, “Don’t worry, I got you, mate.” Once again, his words make your heart leap in your chest, and you can feel the blush on your cheeks as you hand the staffer your walker. You wrap an arm around Hop’s shoulders, and the two of you walk through the doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My depression got the best of me for 2 months. Through small changes, I've finally improved my mental health to the point where I can write again. This is for Alira and 707, I'm sorry I've been a terrible friend.
> 
> I wrote this yesterday. I actually got past opening ceremonies. But then my writing laptop crashed and word had not autosaved it. At all. 5k words gone. But I kicked myself in the ass and said "bitch you can go cry about this or you can open word and writing like a mother fucker before you forget everything" so guess which one I picked lol. I'm proud of myself for getting back to this. Anyways I wrote it even better today so like I hit 5k words way earlier and like I wrote that last paragraph and I was like "hey wait this is like a fine place to end it" so now I can write two chapters today hella.
> 
> I had to reread through my entire story to figure out what was going on again so I could write this, it was so fun to see all the spelling mistakes and then never fix them because fuck doing that on mobile. I hope you enjoyed this regardless of any errors, and I hope you all are staying safe.
> 
> PS: In Chapter Three I called HP "Toughness" because I'm a dumb bitch. I've renamed it to the much more applicable "Stamina" so like that's what that is if I ever have to refer to it again I guess here's your warning. You can go check, I changed it and everything. That was so bad, how did I not think of Stamina sooner.


	21. Chapter Seventeen

Hop keeps a slow pace for you as he helps you down the long hallway out to the pitch. The closer you get to the end, the more you can make out what’s going on in the mass gathering of people further down the hall. It seems the Gym Challengers are all bundled up behind some league staff, and past them, closer to the pitch, you can see the Gym Leaders, Leon, a man in a grey suit, and a tall woman with blond hair.

There’s a big screen on the left wall, and it’s showing a view of the pitch and the stands. You can hear faint music coming from what you’re guessing are the speakers out on the pitch, but you can also hear the crowd, even from back here. It makes you excited, and you and Hop come to a stop at the back of the group of Gym Challengers.

You hear the screams of the crowd pick up, and you notice that the man in the suit and the tall woman have walked out onto the pitch. You can see their small figures on the screen, so you turn your attention to that. The man is walking leisurely, waving to the crowd as he goes. The woman reaches the middle of the pitch long before he does. When he arrives in the middle, he begins speaking.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” You hear his voice through the speakers out on the pitch, and it’s just loud enough for you to make out what he’s saying over all the other noise. “I am Rose, chairman of the Pokémon League!” The camera pans in close so you can see his face clearly on the screen. “I know that everyone gathered here, and everyone watching from home have all been waiting for this big moment!” He gestures rather grandly while he speaks, though you can’t catch every action due to how close the camera is on him.

“It is my pleasure to announce that finally, the Galar region Gym Challenge will now begin!” The camera pans back so you can see Rose raise his arms in the air, and the crowd screams. “Yes, the Gym Challenge! Participants must defeat the eight Gym Leaders-” you’re beginning to get tired from standing, and your leg is getting weak, “And gather the eight Gym Badges to prove their skills as a Trainer!” You sag against Hop as your leg gives out, and Hop tightens his grip around your waist and pulls you closer. He gives you a concerned look as he takes on more of your weight to help you, but you give him a small smile to reassure him you’re ok.

Hop doesn’t look convinced, but you both turn back to the screen regardless. “Only the most worthy will have the honor of challenging the greatest Champion in history!” You’re beginning to see where Leon gets his ego from, when people talk about him like this all the time. “Now, I would like to invite the Gym Leaders to show themselves!” Rose gestures grandly to the entrance, and the camera pans to the entrance just as all the Gym Leaders step out.

They all look so cool, and strong too. Most of them have 6 Pokéballs on their belts or on hip holsters. Those you don’t see with any must keep them in their pockets. The camera then zooms up close to one of the gym leaders, and Rose begins speaking again.

“The fighting farmer! Here’s the Grass-type expert, Milo!” A buff man with a large hat waves to the crowd as his name is called out.

“The raging wave! It’s the master of Water types, Nessa!” A woman whose dark hair has bright blue streaks in it blows a kiss to the crowd, and you hear the screams of some adoring fans.

“The ever-burning man of fire! Here comes the Fire-type veteran, Kabu!” An older man with grey hair wears a towel around his neck as he walks confidently forward.

“The Galar karate prodigy! Nobody’s better with Fighting types than Bea!” The grey eyed woman doesn’t react when her name is called, though she wears a serious expression on her face.

“The master of a fantastic theater! It’s the charming Fairy-type user, Opal!” An old woman walks out onto the pitch with the aide of what you at first think is a cane, but when the camera pulls away you’re able to see it’s actually a parasol.

“The hard-rock crusher! Please welcome the Rock-type master, Gordie!” A man with large shades and even larger bling salutes the crowd with a quirk of a smile, and you hear fan girls screaming.

“And last but not least, the tamer of dragons… It’s Raihan, the top Gym Leader!” A very tall man in an oversized hoodie waves to the crowd, occasionally pulling his phone out and taking a few selfies as he walks.

Wait, last but not least? You only counted seven, weren’t there eight Gym Leaders? “Unfortunately, we’re missing one, but…” Ah, so that answers your question. “These are the Gym Leaders that we in the Galar region are proud to call our own!” The camera pans back as all the Gym Leaders file into a line in the middle of the pitch. Suddenly, the people ahead of you and Hop are moving, and that must mean it’s time for you to step out onto the pitch.

“Now, I would like to invite the Gym Challengers to join us!” Hop keeps a tight grip on you as you walk, and the light ahead gets brighter and brighter until you take that first step onto the turf. It’s massive – much bigger than you were expecting. You’re taken aback by it all, the stands are packed full, the massive screens at either end of the field showing the camera panning out to show all the Gym Challengers. You can see the beautiful blue sky above you, and you trip over your own feet while you’re distracted with looking around. You almost take you and Hop both out, but he manages to keep you both upright.

“You ok?” He whispers in your ear, and you nod with a blush raising to your cheeks. It’s more from embarrassment that people totally saw that than the fact that Hop’s got his arms around you basically. At least, that’s what you tell yourself.

Rose continues to talk, but you’re paying no attention, your focus split between keeping yourself from falling over, trying to take everything in, and Hop’s arms wrapped around you to keep you upright. By the time you come to stand with the rest of the Gym Challengers behind the Gym Leaders, your attention is split further by how much pain you’re in. Tripping like that had really hurt, and you try to keep your face from grimacing at the pain.

You’re probably not very successful, because Hop looks very concerned for you. He’s not paying attention to Opening Ceremonies either, it seems, as his focus is on keeping you upright. You have to lean pretty heavily against him at this point, and you hope this ends soon.

You and the other Gym Challengers are finally sent off the pitch, and you couldn’t be more thankful. You and Hop are significantly slower than the rest, and you trail off as one of the last ones off the pitch. It takes you a while to hobble down the hallway, but Hop stops as often as you need to lean against the wall, or even sit down in the middle of the hall.

“Do you have any pain medication?” Hop asks, and you nod.

“It’s in my bag though,” you respond, and Hop frowns, but nods. He helps you back up and you begin slowly hobbling to the lobby. As soon as you’re through the doors, a league staffer is bringing you your walker. You almost fall into it, and you even struggle to hold yourself up with it. Hop keeps an arm around you to help you get to a bench, before running off as soon as you’re sitting. You let Raboot and Rookidee back out now that it’s safe to do so, and Raboot is only angry for a moment before he registers how much pain you’re in, and then both your Pokémon are trying to comfort you.

Hop comes back quickly with your bag, and you fish out your medication and swallow a pill with a swig of water. You both sit there and wait, Hop rubbing your back every so often, until you have enough strength to make it to the change room. Hop keeps an arm around you still, and you thank him. He only offers you a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. You can still see the worry swimming in them.

Hop helps you into a stall again, and Raboot and Rookidee both help you change back into your normal clothes. You forgo pants in favour of a skirt, because your legs hurt too much to fight with pants right now. Hop helps you back out to the lobby, and you sink into the nearest bench. “How are you feeling?” Hop asks quietly, and you shoot him a pained expression.

“How do you think?” You don’t mean to be rude or sarcastic, but it hurts too much to care about that right now. Hop only looks more concerned though. “At least it’s over now. I can rest the rest of the day,” you offer to Hop, and this finally eases some of the worry from his honey gold eyes.

“Yeah… But standing there on the pitch, in the stadium, in front of everyone!” Hop’s voice finally picks back up some of its usual enthusiasm as he changes topics. “There’s really no words for it, but… I can barely contain myself! My heart’s racing!”

You offer Hop a smile. “I know, it really was exciting to be out there! I can’t wait to be out there battling!” You try to push some enthusiasm into your voice for Hop’s benefit, and the smile he offers you in return makes it worth the effort.

“Ah, there you two are!” You hear a familiar booming voice from your right, and you and Hop both turn to see Leon and Rose walking towards you. Leon’s got a pained expression on his face as he comes to stand in front of you, and Rose joins him.

“So you’re the two Trainers our Champion endorsed himself! Welcome, and it’s a delight to meet you! I’m Rose, of course.” He offers his hand first to Hop, who bolts up standing to not seem rude as he introduces himself. Rose then offers his hand to you, and you hope he isn’t offended that you can’t stand right now. You shake his hand and introduce yourself as well.

“Oh, and what’s this?! I see you both already possess Dynamax Bands! How wonderful! It seems you two have been led here by the guiding light of the Wishing Stars.” Rose talks a lot, that’s your first real impression of this man. Leon looks visibly uncomfortable next to him, he’s shifting his weight and scratching at his arms. “By the way, it was my wonderful company that invented those Dynamax Bands, you know!” That you did not know, you thought Professor Magnolia had invented them. Perhaps she worked for his company?

“I daresay this year’s Gym Challenge is looking to be an absolute blast!” Rose smiles warmly at you and Hop, but it puts a weird feeling in your stomach. There’s something about it that seems… Well, you can’t quite put it into words, and you realize it’s because it’s not _your_ feeling. It’s Raboot’s, and you’re not sure what about this man puts him off, but something does.

“Very good, very good indeed! That means the whole Galar region is in for some excitement!” He’s still going, and Leon’s only looking more uncomfortable by the moment. “The Gym Challenge is an excellent opportunity to show off your Dynamax Pokémon! I can’t wait to see your battles in Turffield, to see what kind of trainers the Champion himself would endorse!” Putting Leon’s demeanor together with Raboot’s feelings gives you the impression you should be wary of this man.

“Now, I’m terribly sorry, but there is some urgent business I need to attend to, so I must be on my way.” Leon’s shoulders sag in relief at Rose’s words. “The best of luck to both of you!” Rose departs with a wave of his hand. Leon sighs as soon as Rose is out of earshot, and you can see the stress leave his body as he turns back to face you and Hop.

“The chairman certainly seems to be in high spirits,” Leon mutters, and you can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic or not.

“Everything alright?” You ask him, and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“I could ask the same of you, you don’t look well,” Leon turns it around back on you, and his attempt to dodge your question does not go unnoticed by you. Hop helpfully explains for you, and Leon frowns. “I hope you haven’t injured yourself further by doing this.”

“I hope so too,” you reply, and Leon looks more sympathetic.

“Now, listen closely, you two. You’ve both only just started on your path as Trainers. If you want to win, you need to do more than just train your Pokémon. You need to train yourselves, too. That means listening to your body’s limits and taking care of yourself, because you can’t battle if you’re injured or ill.” Leon imparts another of his life lessons, and even though it’s one you know, you’re sure there’s a good reason he’s stressing it.

“More than that, you can’t battle if you’re dead. It’s dangerous out there, and you’ll have to trek all across Galar to complete the Gym Challenge. Take care of yourselves out there, or you’ll find yourselves in more trouble than you can handle.” Leon’s looking at you specifically as he says all this, and it makes you want to roll your eyes because you _know_ , you _get it_. But you deserve it, you were the one who did the dumb thing, so you refrain and just nod instead.

Hop, however, does roll his eyes. “Come on, Lee. You’ve given us this lecture already. We will take care of ourselves out there. And we’re not even going to start off to Turffield until she’s well enough.”

Leon smiles and nods at Hop. “That puts my mind at ease. I’d still suggest heading to the center from here to get that looked at, to make sure you haven’t done any more damage. You shouldn’t be walking there though, I can take you over there on Charizard if you’d like.”

You nod to this, and Hop says he’ll meet you over there. Leon picks you up, and you’re not really prepared for it so you can’t help the blush that spreads across your cheeks. Leon is strong, and it’s nice that you’re actually conscious enough to appreciate how wonderful it feels to be held like this. You wonder how many of Leon’s fan girls would hate you over this kind of treatment.

Raboot and Rookidee follow you out, and once outside the Stadium, Leon releases Charizard from his ball. Leon shifts you to one arm to do this, and you’re stunned this man can just hold you in one arm like this. Granted, he instructs you to hold on tight, so you’re also clinging to his neck and shoulder, but it impresses you, which is not at all helpful for fighting the blush that’s on your cheeks. That Leon has graciously not pointed out. You’re sure he knows, though.

Leon helps you climb onto Charizard’s back, and Raboot hops up in front of you. Leon climbs on behind you and wraps his arms around you, instructing you to lean down and wrap your arms around Charizard’s neck. Leon’s soft voice in your ear like this causes your heart to jump familiarly in your chest. Charizard shifts down in preparation, and you audibly gasp at the feeling of the powerful Pokémon taking off.

Rookidee trails behind Charizard in the sky, and you look past Charizard’s neck to see the city fly by below you. It’s both terrifying and thrilling at once, and vaguely reminds you of the kind of feeling you get on a rollercoaster.

“This is your first time flying on a Pokémon, isn’t it?” Leon’s voice has taken on an almost reverent tone up here in the air, and you nod in response. “There’s nothing quite like it. Always my preferred method of travel.” You can hear the smile in Leon’s voice, it sounds like he truly loves flying.

You can see why. You can’t wait to ride on Rookidee’s back when he evolves, and even he’s excited at the prospect of it. “This is amazing, I can’t wait to be able to do this with Rookidee!” You speak louder so Leon can hear you over the wind, as your mouth isn’t right next to his ear.

Leon laughs, “I’m glad you enjoy it! It’s not for everyone, I was worried you might panic. One of our favourite things to do is race, I hope you and Rookidee can become skilled enough to race against us one day!” That sounds absolutely thrilling, and Rookidee chirps excitedly at the idea.

The ride to the Center is amazing, and you’re so glad you get to experience it. It’s not a very long ride, however, only a few minutes at Charizard’s speed to get from the Stadium to the Center. Leon carries you in, and thankfully you’re taken into a room quickly.

Hop gets to the Center before you’re seen by a doctor, and judging by the way he’s slightly out of breath, he likely ran the entire way here. With your walker, which you thank him profusely for bringing, as you’d kind of just forgot it there when Leon picked you up and your brain short circuited. He pulls it out of his bag, and Leon packs it into yours for when you next need it again.

You’re fine with Leon and Hop staying in the room when the doctor comes to examine you. He confirms you haven’t made anything worse, but recommends keeping off it for the rest of the day. Leon explains that he has the rest of the day off now, and offers to spend the rest of the afternoon with you and Hop in the hotel so you can get some rest.

“I’m hanging out with my friends later in the evening though, so I will have to ditch you at some point.” Leon finishes as he carries you out into the lobby of the Center, with Hop close on his heels.

“Oh yeah, all the Gym Leaders are here, guess this would be a good time to see them,” Hop grumbles. He says more, though it’s too quiet for you to hear. Hop groans about being left behind again when Leon suggests taking Charizard to the hotel.

“Charizard can only carry two people, Hop. You’ve got two functioning legs, you make use of those,” Leon teases, and Hop pulls a face at Leon.

“Alright, bet I’ll make it to the hotel before you!” He charges off without a second thought, and Leon only smiles and shakes his head.

“He never changes. Come on, let’s get you back to the hotel.” Leon speaks softly, and helps you onto Charizard’s back once more. “Let’s go a little slower, give Hop a fighting chance against us, my friend,” Leon smiles as he pets Charizard, and the large beast nods his understanding. Leon hops up behind you, once again wrapping his arms around you.

It’s another too short ride that Leon spends the whole time gushing about flying. His soft voice in your ear keeps your heart hammering the whole way, and Charizard has no trouble hassling you over it teasingly through the bond you share. You’re glad Leon can’t see you blush from back there, at least.

You beat Hop back, but only barely, which you know was intentional. “I was so close though! If I hadn’t taken a wrong turn back there I would have won!” Hop still somehow has the energy to keep up his over-exaggerated movements even after running all the way here.

“Yes, you’ve gotten quite quick on your feet! It was very close!” Leon congratulates Hop with a wink to you, and you giggle and nod, agreeing to keep this little secret. He helps you off Charizard once more, recalling him to go inside the hotel.

Leon takes you and Hop up to his room; it’s much bigger than yours and Hop’s, and you realize why when he lets Charizard out into the open space. Hop crashes onto the bed, and Leon sets you down beside him. There’s some discussion about what to do, so a game is pulled out while Leon orders food up to the hotel room for everyone.

It’s a multiplayer video game, and you’re surprised when Leon hands Charizard a controller too. Asking about this causes Hop and Leon to launch into how Leon taught Charizard to play video games back when he was a kid, and Charizard was a Charmander.

“Well, back then, out in Postwick, there wasn’t much else to do. I’d studied all the books, watched many matches, there wasn’t anyone else to battle or train against really. Well, I had Sonia, but she lived quite a ways, so I didn’t get to see her that often. I had a lot of free time, so video games were a fun way to pass the time,” Leon recounts, and the three of you get comfy on Leon’s bed while you wait for food.

“I was too young then, but Leon tried to get me to learn,” Hop cuts in, and Leon laughs.

“That’s right. I wanted someone to play with, so first I tried teaching Hop. He was useless, however, but I noticed Charizard was picking things up as I tried to teach Hop. I’d have Hop in my lap, and Charizard would be sitting in front of me, watching what I was showing Hop. You have to remember, he was only a Charmander back then, so he was only this big,” Leon gestures to show the size of a Charmander.

You _feel_ through your bond as Charizard listens to the story, Charizard’s nostalgic feelings for those days. Leon continues, “So when I noticed Charizard was catching on faster than Hop, I started teaching him instead! I’ve been playing video games with him since! We did eventually manage to teach Hop, somehow.” Leon teases Hop and reaches over and ruffles his hair. Hop of course fights back, and you laugh with the brothers.

The video game reminds you of Super Smash Brothers, so you at least have a vague idea how to play. The skill level seems to be pretty equal between you all, so everyone wins a few matches. The food arrives, and Leon and Charizard have to take a break, as there’s only enough room in the hotel room for one of Leon’s big Pokémon, and he has several to feed.

You and Hop take this time to begin trying to teach your Pokémon with hands how to play. Raboot proves to be half decent at it, and Grookey beats everyone repeatedly, causing Hop to bemoan how his teaching was no longer needed.

You spend the afternoon playing various video games with Hop, Leon, and your Pokémon. You’ve all lost track of time completely, so it’s takes someone calling Leon bugging him about where he is for you all to realize the time. Leon kicks you and Hop out to get ready, and Hop has to piggy back you to your room.

He offers it up willingly to give Leon more time to get ready, though you’re sad at the missed opportunity to be in Leon’s strong arms again. However, being carried by Hop is nice too, and you are really enjoying being pampered like this. You remind yourself to thank Leon later for everything today, and you’re sure to thank Hop when you get back to your room.

“Want to hang out here?” You ask Hop when it seems apparent he wants to stay, as he sort of dawdles near the door.

He beams and hops onto the bed next to you. “Sure! Want to order dinner to the room?” You and Hop work out what to order, and after placing the order, you bug him to tell you more childhood stories about himself and Leon.

This launches the two of you into trading stories all night over food. You make no effort to kick Hop out, and Hop doesn’t ever get up to leave, either. You’re really not sure if it’s accidental or intentional that you both end up falling asleep cuddled up together for the second night in a row.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I heard you like romance, I gotchu covered bb <3
> 
> I found my favourite game's soundtrack online, and downloaded it. It's got a lot of great, moody tracks. It's given me so many ideas. I am so hyped for the next interlude.
> 
> Stay safe out there everyone. I'm glad I can escape to a pandemic free world through writing.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed, thank you so much for all the love and comments as always. Truly, a fan fiction writer's favourite thing is reading the comments. Bless you all.


	22. Chapter Eighteen

Hop wakes up before you it seems, because you blink awake to his golden eyes staring into yours. He seems to panic, and quickly bolts up. You’re still waking up fully, so this is all taking a bit longer to process than it normally would.

Hop’s speaking, but the words don’t hit you until after he’s jumped out of bed. “I’m so sorry, I lost track of time again, I didn’t mean to fall asleep in your room!” He’s not exactly making a move to leave, but he looks conflicted and unsure what to do.

“Hop, wait, it’s ok. I had a good sleep, there’s nothing to really apologize for,” you respond after a moment, and Hop seems to relax. You catch the blush on his face as he looks back at you briefly before looking away again.

“How’s your leg feeling today?” He asks as he comes to sit back down on the bed. You sit up fully, and test moving it. It feels significantly better now, and you let Hop know. “Wanna try putting weight on it?” He stands up and holds his arms out for support.

“Ok.” You nod, and grab onto his arms. You pull yourself up, and try to place your weight evenly between both legs to test out your strength. You’re able to stand, and you and Hop share a grin.

“That’s ace, mate! Here, try walking on it!” Hop shifts and wraps his arms around you like he had yesterday, and you feel like you should be getting used to the way this makes your heart thud and your cheeks tingle. You aren’t though; the feeling catches you off guard every time.

You’re able to walk on it well with Hop’s support, so Hop pulls your walker out of your bag for you when he deposits you back on the bed. Hop eventually heads back to his room to get ready for the day, and once he’s gone, you begin getting ready too.

You spend some of the day wandering more around Motostoke. It’s quieter today; most of the Gym Challengers have already left to begin their Gym Challenge. You run into a couple still getting ready to go, which makes both of you feel better about being stuck behind. The man in the purple jacket is one of the ones staying behind, and you wonder what’s keeping him here after the scene he made yesterday. He made it sound like he was a very good trainer, it seemed odd to you that he wasn’t one of the first ones off.

Neither you nor Hop stop to talk to him though, and after you’ve seen him for the second time, you tell Hop about the encounter you and Marnie had with him yesterday. Hop snorts at the tale, and shakes his head. “Why am I not surprised?” Hop remarks when you’re done speaking.

One of the things the two of you encounter today is the battle café you found earlier in the week. Hop is excited when you explain it to him, so he drags you into it with a grin. You pick a table and let him battle first, as he seems more excited about this than you are.

Watching Hop battle is still impressive to you, even after being here over a month now. He wears a smile the whole battle, and his Pokémon have just as much fun as he does. You watch as Hop tosses a Pokéball into the center of the arena in the middle of the café, and Wooloo appears opposite the café owner’s Milcery.

“Alright Wooloo! Hit her with tackle!” Hop instructs, and Wooloo rolls into the Milcery. The Milcery retaliates with a tackle back that Wooloo isn’t quite able to dodge in time. “That’s ok bud, circle around and come back for another tackle!”

“Milcery, use Sweet Kiss!” The café owner calls out, and the Milcery blows an exaggerated kiss at Wooloo. Wooloo seems confused after, as he tackles in the wrong direction and crashes into the counter when Hop instructs him. “Now Draining Kiss!” You’ve seen this move used on the other Gym Challengers when you were here last, so you know it heals the Milcery while damaging Wooloo.

Hop only grins though, “Wooloo, Copycat!” Wooloo baas and then mimics the move the Milcery just used, healing himself back. It’s a move you saw Wooloo learn a couple days ago, and you’re happy to see Wooloo successfully use it. His success rate the day he’d learned it had been pretty low.

Hop’s gotten better; he and his Pokémon have begun to pick up the way you and your Pokémon battle, and Hop’s developed a lot of wordless queues for his Pokémon. He doesn’t say anything at all as Wooloo rolls out of the way of the Milcery just in time, and you see him do a gesture with his hand that Wooloo catches.

You know this one means fall back – you suspect Hop’s waiting for Wooloo to snap out of his confusion instead of risking Wooloo hurting himself again. The Milcery gives chase at her partner’s orders, but that was exactly what Hop wanted. “Now!” He shouts, and Wooloo charges and collides with the Milcery head on.

Both Pokémon tumble back, but Wooloo simply rolls onto his feet while the Milcery struggles to get back up. It looks like Hop just about has this! You hadn’t seen many people be able to take down that Milcery with just one Pokémon the last time you were here, so you and your Pokémon cheer for Hop and Wooloo.

Hop and Wooloo share a look, and Wooloo rolls across the small arena towards the Milcery. Part way there, Wooloo suddenly changes course, and is able to dodge the Sweet Kiss blown at him. “Circle around and get her from the back!” Hop throws his first in the air as he shouts.

“Dodge!” The café owner yells, but Milcery isn’t able to get out of the way in time. She tumbles from the hit into the center of the arena and doesn’t get back up. The owner recalls her, and you and your Pokémon cheer.

“Congrats Hop!” You call out as you clap, and Hop grins at you. He bends down to pet Wooloo and praise him, pulling a potion out of his bag and spraying it on Wooloo. He collects his free treat, and comes and joins you at your table. He immediately cuts it in half, and offers half to Wooloo, who baas appreciatively before digging in.

The gesture brings a smile to your face; Hop really loves his Pokémon. You hear your name called, and the café owner gestures for you to come up. He must be ready to battle you now, so you look between your Pokémon. Raboot has had more battle experience, so you look to Rookidee to let him know you’ll be using him first.

Raboot naturally complains about being stuck back in his ball for the battle. “Seems both your Pokémon want to battle, would you like to try a double battle?” The café owner asks from his place behind the counter.

You haven’t tried a double battle before, but all three of you are excited at the idea. “Yes please!” You call back, getting up with the aide of your walker and walking to the far side of the arena. Your Pokémon line up in the middle, and the café owner tosses out two Pokémon.

One is the Milcery he had just used with Hop, healed up and ready for round two. The other is a Swirlix that you saw him use in battle the other day you were here. “Sweet Scent and Play Nice!” The owner shouts, and his Pokémon spring into action.

He’s lowering your Pokémon’s accuracy and attack, and you tell your partners to dodge. Rookidee successfully flies over both moves, but Raboot gets hit by Play Nice. You _feel_ his disposition change when he’s hit, it’s like a feeling that he has to hold back. It unnerves you, but you shake off the feeling to focus on the battle.

You get Rookidee to use Leer to lower their defences in retaliation, as both your Pokémon are stronger physical attackers. Raboot uses Flame Charge, and knocks the Milcery back. Swirlix uses Fairy Wind at the command of her trainer, and Raboot is too close to dodge in time. Milcery takes aim at Rookidee, but being airborne gives him more maneuverability, and he’s easily able to dodge.

You get a good strategy going of using Raboot as bait, only for Rookidee to be able to swoop in and use Peck while the two Fairy-types try to land hits on Raboot. The narrow size of this arena makes great practice for Raboot’s dodging skills, as he doesn’t have a large area to run around in.

Besides, this was meant for practice for Rookidee. You’re already pretty confident in Raboot’s attacking capabilities, as you’ve spent more time training with him. Rookidee learns how to sharpen his claws to improve his attack and accuracy, and you feel a swell of pride as the new move helps him take out the Milcery.

You label the move Hone Claws in your head for him, and focus your attention on the remaining Swirlix. Now outnumbered, the owner shouts for his Swirlix to fight more recklessly to try and take your Pokémon out. Raboot is hurting from being bait, and it only takes one hit of Draining Kiss to cause him to stumble over, your connection with him cut as he loses consciousness.

It makes you feel sick for a moment, and it enrages Rookidee. He cries out loudly, declaring his revenge, as he dive bombs in for a hit.

It’s devastating. Rookidee is completely unfazed by this massive hit that slams Swirlix hard into the counter, knocking her out immediately. _Holy shit, what did you do?_ You’re stunned, and so is Hop when you look over to him.

_Retaliation,_ comes Rookidee’s reply over the bond. You wrack your brain for what move he could have possibly just used, and Hop bounds up and comes over to you.

“Do you know what move that was?” You ask him, and he scratches his head.

“Looked like Retaliate? Only thing I can think of that would hit with that much power without hurting your Rookidee.” Hop answers. He hands you a potion for Raboot, and you notice the café owner is healing up his Pokémon behind the counter after recalling his knocked out Swirlix.

Raboot comes to a bit after the potion is sprayed on him, but he’s exhausted. You can’t pick him up and carry him while you need the walker, but he begins to panic when he realizes he’ll have to go in his ball. “Hop, can you carry Raboot to a chair? He doesn’t want to go back in his ball.” You turn to Hop hopefully.

He nods with a chuckle. “I warned you about this,” is all he says as he hoists Raboot into his arms. Rookidee retrieves your rewarded treat for winning the battle, and flies over to the table to carefully set it down for you. When Hop sets Raboot down in a chair, you push the treat towards him and let him and Rookidee know they can share it over the bond. They worked hard, you think they deserve it.

“So how was your first double battle? Looked like you were having a tad bit of trouble there,” Hop asks as he props his elbows on the table. He raises his eyebrows with you with a smile like he’s teasing you, and you scrunch up your face at him.

“I was not, that went almost exactly to plan. Until Raboot fainted. But other than that, everything was going well.” You reply, and Hop just laughs.

“Oh really? Seemed like Raboot couldn’t even get a hit in, and Rookidee wasn’t really helping get the other Pokémon off his back.” You can tell Hop is actually teasing you now, and you fight the childish urge to make another face at him.

“That was intentional though. It was good for Raboot to practice evading in such a tight area. And Rookidee needs more fighting experience. He learned two new moves, so I’d say that was pretty successful.” Raboot glares at you when you say that, as he doesn’t deem him fainting as being very successful.

You have to remind him that fainting is a part of battling, and that he’s not going to be able to win every single battle. There’s no way one Pokémon could take on a whole team, he would faint eventually. _Then I have to get stronger so that doesn’t happen._ You feel his determination through your bond, and you just sigh. You’re not sure how you’re going to convince him that’s unrealistic. You did it in the video games back home, sure but reality was so much different than the games.

Hop purses his lips and looks away for a minute, like he’s thinking. “I still don’t get how your Pokémon know your strategies so well, I never see you talk to them before battle or during battle. You’re really good, obviously, but how do you get your Pokémon to follow your strategies so well?”

You weren’t expecting Hop to ask about that, so you have to take a moment to figure out how to explain it. “Uh, the short answer is, I can sort of… Talk to them, I guess? I… I feel what they’re feeling-” you place your hand over your heart, “in here. I don’t know how better to explain than that.”

Hop looks confused. “I don’t really get it.” He shakes his head before leaning it back into one of his hands.

“Oh, Leon showed me a match, and that kind of explained it. Let me see if I can find it.” This only makes Hop look more confused, though.

“Wait, Lee knows?” Hop asks as you pull your phone out and begin trying to search for that match.

“Yeah, he was the one who figured it out. He showed me a match between Red and Cynthia, I’m trying to find it.” You’re still tapping away at your phone, it’s a bit harder to find the matches from the World Championship than it is to find matches that have happened in Galar.

“I know that match, it’s one of Lee’s favourites. He’s always talked about how Red- wait, can you do what World Champion Red does? That kind of communicating with Pokémon?” Hop’s voice takes on an incredulous tone when he realizes what you’re talking about.

You nod. “Leon seems to think so, anyways. The announcer said something about how it’s like he and his Pokémon can read each other’s thoughts. That’s what it feels like, it’s like my Pokémon and I can read each other’s thoughts. It’s not right, I can’t tell what they’re thinking all the time, more like what they’re feeling.” You finish your explanation, and Hop looks thoughtful.

“That’s really something, mate! No wonder you keep beating me. Now that I know your secret, I can prepare for it! Watch out, I’m going to kick your arse in our next battle!” That familiar passion dances in his golden eyes, and you can’t help but grin.

“We’ll see about that, Hop. I’m not slacking off either.”

The next few days pass quickly, as there’s quite a lot to do in Motostoke. You and Hop certainly aren’t falling behind on your training while you’re here, as you learn the Stadium is open during the times there are no matches scheduled. As Gym Challengers, you and Hop are allowed inside to use the facilities.

This allows you to meet Kabu. He’s surprisingly sympathetic to your plight, as he’s heard much about both of you through Leon. He encourages the two of you to make use of the Stadium while it’s empty, even coming out and offering tips occasionally while the two of you train with your Pokémon.

He seems more impressed with Hop than he is with you, and you’re kind of relieved, as you think Hop deserves it more. He’s worked way harder than you have to get to the level you both are at, you’re happy that someone else can see how dedicated he is.

It’s Hop’s loyalty to you, and the fact that he’s basically sabotaging himself to help you, that impresses Kabu. You only know this as you overhear the two of them during training one day. “Being capable of that kind of loyalty will take you and your partner Pokémon far,” he imparts to Hop. “Don’t lose sight of that for strength. Many trainers do, to their downfall.”

Training and exploring Motostoke leave you and your Pokémon exhausted early on each day, causing Hop to suggest retiring early to the hotel each time. You two condense into one hotel room after the third night in a row of falling asleep in the same room. It’s still a bit awkward, but it makes the most practical sense. It also saves Leon money, as he’s the one footing the bill for you two. Hop can help you out this way, too. It’s just all around more convenient.

At least, that’s what the two of you tell each other. It may be a bit more for you, as you really do enjoy sleeping next to him. You get a good night’s sleep every time, and you really appreciate the warmth and safety it provides. Waking up in his arms every morning and watching his beautiful golden eyes slowly blink open is a sight you can’t imagine getting sick of.

You’ve got a massive crush, not that you’re ready to admit that or anything.

When you get the go-ahead from the doctor that it would be safe for you to travel on foot to Turffield, you and Hop begin preparing immediately. You’re both thrilled to finally be able to set off. You and Hop go shopping, and Leon sends you a list of all the things you two should have before setting out, as well as some money to buy them. You feel like you’re never going to be able to repay the kindness this family continues to show you, so you thank Leon profusely.

“Just check Hop’s bag before you set off, make sure he’s got everything. I’d come see you two off and do it myself, but I’m busy here in Wyndon.” Leon tells you over the phone when you’ve called to thank him. You agree to look after Hop for Leon, it’s the least you can do.

Hop groans at this, but lets you check his bag anyways. You ask him to check yours for you to make him feel less embarrassed, which seems to work, as he’s all smiles as he digs through your bag. You confirm you both have everything off Leon’s list, which Hop still thinks is excessive but you remind him Leon has a reason to be worried about the two of you. Your heavily bandaged leg is all it takes to show what you mean.

The two of you have just stepped outside the large wall surrounding Motostoke, onto the grassy path that will eventually lead you two to Turffield, when Hop whirls around and challenges you to a battle. “Come on, mate! Let’s see how much better we’ve got from all this training in Motostoke!” You can tell from the look in his eyes that there’s no way you’re talking him down from this.

You nod and smile. “Ok, but you better not complain when you lose!” You dig out Rookidee’s Pokéball and recall him, and Hop jogs a decent distance away to give your Pokémon enough space to battle.

Hop’s got a confident grin on his face as he warms up his arm and punches a Pokéball into his fist, his usual pre-battle routine. With a well-aimed toss, Hop launches the ball to land just in front of Raboot, and Wooloo pops out. “Wooloo, go!” Hop shouts, and Wooloo launches into a tackle that Raboot can’t prepare for.

Raboot recovers from it quickly, aiming a Blaze Kick at Wooloo, who rolls out of the way just in time. Hop crosses his arms and taunts, “Keep up, mate! Wooloo, like we practiced!” You and Hop had been training separately a lot in the Stadium, so you’re actually not sure what ‘like we practiced’ is. Wooloo curls into a ball, and you see something almost reflective cover him for a brief moment.

You suggest Double Kick to Raboot to take advantage of Wooloo’s weakness, but the move seems to bounce harmlessly off Wooloo without causing any damage. Raboot is confused, and you are for a moment as well. _Protect possibly? It’s more likely to fail if used multiple times in a row, I think. Try again._ You tell Raboot, and he charges in once more.

“Now!” Hop shouts, and Wooloo shoots off an electric wave that Raboot is unable to dodge. It knocks him to the ground, paralyzed. When did Hop learn that one? Wooloo rolls towards Raboot, and hits him again. Raboot struggles to get back up, but he does.

Neither of you are ready to give up, though. You haven’t even landed a hit yet! You tell Raboot to let Wooloo come to him, and just be ready to land a kick before he hits. It’s hard for Raboot to run and jump after being hit with the electric move, so staying still and counting on timing is the only option.

Hop tells Wooloo to circle around and come in for a hit again, he seems to think Raboot is fully paralyzed. Little does he know, Raboot is just waiting. When Wooloo is close enough, Raboot unleashes two powerful kicks on Wooloo, causing him to tumble off the path the two of you are fighting on.

Hop grimaces at the hit, “Wooloo! Hang in there! One more hit should do it!” His words encourage Wooloo, as he baas confidently before charging towards Raboot once more. One more Double Kick should knock Wooloo out too, so it’s all on who hits first, or if the paralysis keeps Raboot from moving in time.

You bite your lip as Wooloo gets closer, and Raboot bravely fights through the twinge of being paralyzed to successfully land a hit. Hop gasps as Wooloo tumbles away. “You did you best!” He calls out as he recalls Wooloo. “It’s not over yet, Grookey let’s finish him!” Hop tosses another Pokéball onto the path, and Grookey appears.

Grookey is ordinarily pretty fast, so with Raboot slowed by the paralysis, Grookey is easily able to hit Raboot with Branch Poke, slamming his stick into Raboot’s side and knocking him down. Raboot faints from the hit, and you have to recall him into his Pokéball. You hope he won’t mind. The feeling of him losing consciousness still makes you feel sick for a moment, and you clutch your stomach as you dig out Rookidee’s Pokéball.

Rookidee appears with a trill, and is able to fly out of the way of Grookey’s swinging club. “Use taunt!” Hop calls out to Grookey. Grookey proceeds to Taunt Rookidee into flying down.

This strategy once again proves to be Hop’s downfall, as this only serves to fuel Rookidee’s anger. He’s realized by now that Grookey took out Raboot, and dives down to use Retaliate. Once again, the hit is devastating, and horror washes over Hop’s face as Grookey tumbles back into him, unconscious from one hit.

“I walked right into that one…” Hop murmurs as he recalls Grookey. Rookidee trills in happiness, proud of himself for taking out Grookey. “That one’s a right force, I’ll tell you. Come on, Rookidee, we can do this!” Hop summons his last Pokémon into battle, and the two of you are completely even.

The battle is quickly carried into the air, as each Rookidee tries to swoop in and hit the other. Neither of you are landing any hits this way, however, as both Pokémon are able to dodge out of the way too quickly. You get your Rookidee to fly lower, and use Sand Attack when she comes close enough. You’re hoping lowering her accuracy will allow your Rookidee to get in closer and land a hit.

“Argh, use Fury Attack! One of them will hit!” Hop instructs, and his Rookidee launches into multiple quick attacks. Some hit, some don’t, but you have your Rookidee retaliate by using Revenge. It’s a move you’d managed to teach him while training in Motostoke Stadium. The hit knocks her back, and your Rookidee charges in after her.

“Protect!” Hop shouts, and the same sort of barrier you saw cover Wooloo before covers Rookidee. You’re able to get your Rookidee to switch gears and change from attacking to using Hone Claws while you wait for the barrier to wear off. Hop looks momentarily irritated that his strategy didn’t work a second time.

“Try using Swift!” Hop calls out, and the moves collides with Rookidee even when he tries to dodge. You remember from the games that Swift always hits, and you’re guessing the same must be true here, as the star shaped projectiles follow Rookidee up into the air and collide with him. Your Rookidee chases after his opponent, determined to get her back.

He charges in with Revenge once more, but Hop’s Rookidee dodges out of the way. “Swift again! We’ve almost got him!” Hop isn’t kidding, as your Rookidee is hurting after the second hit from Swift. One more and he’ll lose consciousness, so you know he’s got to land this hit if you want to win.

Hop’s Rookidee flies up to dodge, and you catch the hand signal Hop makes for her. She’s going to dive back down out of the way when your Rookidee gets close, as you’ll be aiming up, where she’s going, and miss. Your Rookidee prepares for this, and charges dead on. As you get close, Hop’s Rookidee flips, and starts flying straight down.

And flies directly into the path of your attacking Rookidee. She’s knocked to the ground from the hit, and Hop jumps in surprise. “No! How did you predict that?!” He recalls Rookidee with a frown. “Just what I’d expect from my rival.” His voice doesn’t sound too put out, but he sure looks devastated.

“You’ve gotten way better since the last time we battled!” You compliment as you begin digging potions out of your bag for your Pokémon. Hop sighs, but a small smile reappears on his face.

“Not good enough to beat you yet! Guess we still have more work to do.” Hop comes over to you, and you catch the sadness in his amber eyes, as that small smile doesn’t quite reach them.

You attention is quickly pulled away when the Pokéball you stuffed in your pocket, that contains Raboot, begins violently shaking. When you pull it out of your pocket, it immediately breaks open, and Raboot appears. He’s shaking, and as soon as he’s out, he thumps his foot against the ground in distress and screams.

You’re overwhelmed by his terror – he’s panicking after coming to inside his Pokéball. You collapse to the ground and wrap him in a hug, doing your best to soothe him. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” you keep repeating as Hop kneels down next to you.

“I thought you were just spoiling him, I didn’t realize he hates his Pokéball.” Hop assents, releasing his own Pokémon from their balls and digging through his bag for potions.

“I didn’t know he was so afraid of it, either. Waking up inside it when he didn’t remember being put in there really freaked him out.” You sigh, rubbing Raboot’s head as he tucks himself into the crook of your neck. “I don’t know what that means for battling going forward. How do I recall him if he’ll only panic like this? I don’t want to put him through this over and over again.” You look to Hop pleadingly, like he’ll have some sort of answer.

Evidently, he does. “Recall him when he’s getting weak, before he faints. That way he knows he’s going back inside the ball.” Hop offers, and Raboot seems to be ok with this idea, but only because he knows you can’t battle without putting him back in his Pokéball. He doesn’t like it, and he wants you to know that, but he likes battling enough to deal with being inside his Pokéball.

“He seems ok with that idea.” You tell Hop, and he offers you a grin as he pets Raboot.

“I’ve heard of Pokémon who hate their Pokéballs, but it’s pretty rare. At least he’s not a Pokémon that has a really big evolution, he doesn’t have to go back inside his ball for much.” Hop offers as a condolence, and Raboot seems to perk up at this. It takes a while for him to calm down, long after you and Hop have healed all your Pokémon. Hop doesn’t rush him though, and sits down with the two of you at the edge of the trail until he’s ready to go again.

Hop leaps up, raring to go immediately. “Our Gym Challenge finally starts right now, from right here outside Motostoke! Although the first Gym is in Turffield, still, this trek from Motostoke to Turffield is just as much a part of the Gym Challenge as any battle against a Gym Leader is! And you’d better believe I’m going to keep on winning my way to that Championship Match!” Hop’s excitement is contagious, as always, and you share a beaming grin with him as he helps you to your feet.

“If anyone can do it, Hop, it’s you. Look at how much you’ve already improved since I met you!” You gush to him, and he blushes briefly before throwing his fists up in the air triumphantly.

“Hello, Galar! Meet your next Champion! From the sleepy town of Postwick, it’s me, Hop!” Hop’s overconfidence brings a giggle out of you, and you smile warmly at Hop.

“We still have to get to Turffield before that, Mr. Next Champion. Come on.” You tug at his arm, and he laughs good-naturedly. He turns around and points out the way you’re heading.

“That’s the path to Turffield. Well, technically there’s a few paths there, but the shortcut through the mines is this way.” You and Hop had agreed to take the short path there to both save time and in hopes that being on the road for a shorter time would be better for your leg. The terrain in the mines is more difficult, however, and you hope you can handle it.

With a shared smile and a nod, you, Hop, and the five Pokémon you have between you, head off towards the mines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I caught up to my notes again oops. Time to go play Shield again.
> 
> Let me hug Hop, he needs it. I want everyone to know how precious he is.
> 
> What am I doing with my life guys, I'm so gay for these men.


	23. Chapter Ninteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are many other things I should be doing. Instead I am writing. I do not know how to time manage it's fine.

It’s the second day along the route to Turffield, and you and Hop have split off to train by yourselves for a bit. You’re due to hit the mines today, so you had agreed to meet in front of the tunnel entrance.

You’re tired today, and so are your Pokémon is seems. You and Hop had stayed up way too late last night. After failing to set up your tent, you’d had a bit of a break down. You were tired and in pain from walking all day, and you just wanted to sleep. Hop quietly grabbed your bedroll and sleeping bag and set them up in his own tent. He then led you in, where you had cried about many things.

Hop had managed to get you to talk about home, your family and friends, your pet cat, the things you enjoyed, and even managed to get you to sing a few songs you remembered the words to that you liked. All this to cheer you up, but it kept you both up for hours.

Evidently, it also kept your Pokémon up. Raboot was still in the habit of sleeping near you, so he stayed in the tent, and your talking kept him up. Rookidee had slept fine outside, he’s simply being lazy today since Raboot is. He seems to like to do whatever Raboot is doing, you’re beginning to notice.

Training is going basically nowhere for you today, and you wish Hop had let you stay with him. You’re bored. The walk is lonely and boring without him, and you realize you’ve basically spent the last several days attached at the hip. It’s a little weird to be alone now.

You’re wandering along the trail when you see a familiar tangle of orange hair ahead of you, leaning against a large rock. “Sonia?” You call out.

She’s looking down at a book, a pen in her mouth and her sunglasses sitting low on her nose. She gasps when she hears her name, pen falling to the ground, and quickly shoves the glasses up into her hair. “A-ah! I didn’t expect to run into you here!” She looks a little mortified, and you wonder if she’s embarrassed about needing to wear glasses to read.

You know better than to mention something like that, however. “I got the go-ahead to walk to Turffield, so Hop and are finally on our way to take on our first Gym.”

“Oh, but where’s Hop?” She asks, looking around.

“He went off ahead to train,” you reply, and Sonia shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head.

“Can’t sit still at all, can he?” She frowns, looking away. “Always racing ahead to catch up to his brother…” She mutters so quietly you barely catch it.

“We’re meeting up at the mines later, it’s not like he’s off and ditched me here.” You wave to placate her, and Sonia’s frown turns into a smile.

“Oh! Let me tell you something interesting about the mines then!” She exclaims, and you nod excitedly. It’s nice of Sonia to always offer you knowledge about this world, she was well educated on so many things. You trust the information she shares with you.

Sonia turns and gestures for you to follow her. She stops at the fork in the road ahead, and she points down the road that does not lead to the mines. “You see that building over there?” You look further down the road to catch sight of the buildings blowing large clouds out of tall towers. “It’s a company owned by Chairman Rose. This building processes the ore dug up in the mines into energy. In other words, the Chairman is responsible for providing the Galar region with its energy, too.”

There’s something about this that strikes you as odd. It sounds like Rose has his hands in a lot of pots in Galar. You know from your own world how people like that are, and you’re suddenly more aware of why Leon was acting so anxious around the Chairman days ago. Your face contorts into worry about what this might mean.

“Can’t say I really like him, but he _seems_ like a pretty brilliant guy, right?” She sounds sarcastic, and she offers you a sly smirk. Seems she feels similarly about Rose, and you can only nod.

“The more I learn about him, the more he concerns me.” You sigh, and Sonia’s lips draw into a tight line.

There’s a long moment of silence between you two while you both stare out at the towers. “Well!” Sonia exclaims after a moment. “It’s still a ways down that way-” she gestures to the other path, “to the mines, you should be heading off. And I should be getting back to work.”

“Yeah, you never know with Hop, he could already be there waiting for me,” you reply with a smile, and Sonia giggles softly. You say your goodbyes, and head down towards the mines.

Turns out you reach the tunnel early and have to sit down to wait for Hop. You’re halfway through making a semi-decent curry for you and your Pokémon when Hop shows up. He offers his help, and you’re thankful because even though the two of you are complete shit at this, together somehow you and Hop’s cooking comes out better.

The mines turn out to be incredibly difficult to navigate. The ground is often too uneven for your walker, but Hop is determined to make it through this way to save time.

“What are we going to do then? I can’t hobble the whole way through here.” You explain to Hop, and he grins.

“Well, I recon I can carry you through the uneven parts.” You stare at Hop incredulously and raise your eyebrows. He blushes and stutters, “H-hey, don’t look at me like that. I can totally do it.”

You give him the opportunity to prove himself, as it’s not like turning back would save you any time over this anyways. He doesn’t seem to have much trouble giving you piggy-back rides through the mines, as his Pokémon expertly deal with the various Rock and Ground-type Pokémon that charge into your path. Raboot and Rookidee hang back, wary of all the Rock moves after that run in with the Onix. It’s not like they were training today anyways, but at least it gives you a good excuse to explain your Pokémon’s laziness to Hop.

You come to appreciate the uneven ground. It’s nice being carried by Hop; he’s stronger than he looks. He hardly seems to struggle to keep up a regular walking pace, but he keeps his pace even for you so you’re not jostled around too much. He informs you about the various Pokémon you don’t recognize around you as you rest your chin on his shoulder. You can see bright red spread across his cheeks from this angle, as well as the wide smile he wears as he talks.

In fact, your group makes such good pace, you get through in a couple hours. You can see the light ahead at the end of the tunnel Hop is currently carrying you down, and you’re disappointed. It looks like the ground is smooth enough for you to walk the rest of the way, so Hop sets you down and Raboot helpfully pulls your walker out of your bag for you. You glare at it, sad that your lovely trip has come to an end so soon.

The tunnel has been empty so far, so you’re mildly surprised to see a figure ahead of you and Hop. As you get closer, you’re even more surprised to see it’s the man in the pink jacket. He turns to face the two of you as you get closer, and raises a single eyebrow.

“Coming this way? Any Trainers with a Wishing Star are in for a beating from me and my Pokémon!” The man shouts, and Hop jumps.

“Whoa, what do you want with our Wishing Stars?” Hop asks, wrapping a protective hand around his Dynamax band.

He runs a hand through his platinum blond hair and smirks. “You two, you’re the Gym Challengers endorsed by the Champion, aren’t you?”

He’s completely ignored Hop’s question. “We are, and we’re not giving you our Wishing Stars?” It ends up coming out more as a question when you say it, nervousness overtaking you as he walks closer, stopping directly in front of your walker and putting a hand on the front. He’s a decent bit taller than you, so you have to look up to meet his violet eyes.

“Ha! What a joke. Like you’d be strong enough to stop me from taking them from you.” He smirks annoyingly at you, and Hop gets mad.

“Hey, what’s your deal?” Hop demands, “Let go of her walker.” He steps up next to you, putting himself between you and this blond man. Hop puts a protective arm across you and grabs your walker next to where the man’s holding it.

He snorts with a roll of his eyes. “What authority do you have? You are aware that the Chairman is more important than the Champion, right?” The jacketed man teases, and Hop absolutely bristles.

You have to put a hand on Hop to keep him from escalating this. Your Pokémon are all getting anxious about this situation behind you. “Why does that matter?” You ask, and the man looks back to you.

“I was chosen by the Chairman himself, so that makes me more amazing than you!” He sounds so cocky, you notice Hop clenching his fists beside you. You keep your hand on his chest, it still seems like he wants to punch the smirk off the taller man’s face.

You laugh fakely, “Wow, what a bold statement.” You hope the sarcasm comes through in your voice.

“I suppose I should prove beyond doubt just how pathetic you are and just how strong I am.” He sounds like he’s being put out by this. You have to take a deep breath to keep yourself calm.

“My mate here’s never lost a battle yet, she’ll kick your arse!” Hop hypes you up, and you balk. Hop’s just thrown you under the bus here as this man fancifully pulls out a Pokéball and holds it in his left hand.

“Well? Recall your Pokémon then and take me on proper.” The purple eyed man demands as he stalks several metres away.

Hop rubs your back supportingly. “Kick his arse, mate.” Hop looks dead angry and determined still.

You have to hold in the laugh. Hop can’t even swear when he’s pissed off. “Hoppy, you can say ass in this situation.” You tease, and Hop’s face goes scarlet as he turns away. You turn and recall Raboot and Rookidee, and face the unknown man.

The Pokéball he tosses out contains a Solosis. You toss Rookidee out first, preferring to leave Raboot to last to potentially avoid him fainting. The man calls out attacks to his Pokémon, and you send Rookidee in to attack. You know Solosis is a Psychic-type, so you know the Dark-type move Power Trip will be more effective. Rookidee skillfully dodges out of the way and hits the Solosis, raising his own Attack at the same time.

The Solosis barely looks fazed however, and hits back with Confusion. Rookidee can’t dodge the wider attack and gets blown back. You encourage Rookidee to keep using Power Trip, as it gets stronger the stronger he gets. When the Solosis is looking weak, the man commands “Now! Endeavour!”

You don’t immediately remember what Endeavour does, but you soon find out when your Rookidee is hit with an attack that knocks him back, and he barely recovers from it. It takes him down to the same amount of Stamina left. You grimace in pain on behalf of Rookidee, and the man is shouting more instructions. “Recover! Then finish it with Psybeam!”

“Ack! That’s bad! Who even are you?!” Hop shouts at the man.

_You’ve raised your attack almost high as it can go, Power Trip should be a really strong move now, one hit should knock him out! Hit him first!_ You encourage Rookidee, and he trills as he speeds into the Solosis. Despite recovering, the hit indeed knocks him out.

The man grimaces as he recalls his Pokémon. “My name is Bede. And I’m just giving your Pokémon a chance to shine. That’s all. He looks so weak.” Bede taunts, and both you and Rookidee bristle in anger. It’s Hop’s turn to set a hand on your shoulder and give you a concerned look.

Bede throws out his next Pokémon, a Gothita. You have to snort into your hand, this isn’t going to go well for that poor Gothita. As long as Rookidee can get a hit in first, that is. “Psybeam!” Bede shouts, and you clench your teeth as Rookidee swoops carefully beneath the beam and collides harshly with Gothita. She tumbles back, rolling all the way to Bede’s feet, and doesn’t get up.

Bede shuffles in his coat and grumbles as he pulls out the Pokéball to recover Gothita. “Oh dear, what have I been doing? Well, whatever. Let’s just get this over with.” He takes another Pokéball out and summons a Pokémon you don’t recognize.

You’re hoping it’s a Psychic type as you tell Rookidee to attack again, and turn to Hop. “What’s that Pokémon?” You ask as quietly as you can.

Hop launches into an explanation for you. “That’s Hatenna, a Psychic-type Pokémon. Guess Bede here is a one trick Ponyta.” Bede snarls at this.

“Protect then Disarming Voice!” Bede commands and Hatenna manages to block Rookidee’s attack just in time. Stunned, he stumbles back a bit, and Hatenna’s next move hits him, even as he tries to dodge.

You shudder as you feel you connection with him disappear as he faints, and you recall him with a sad smile. “You did so well, my friend,” you whisper to the Pokéball as you tuck it away. You pull Raboot’s out and toss it onto the ground in front of you.

Raboot is immediately ready to go, your connection with him sharing all he needs to know quickly. Bede orders more attacks, and Raboot carefully dodges around the rays of Confusion. Raboot alights himself in flame and charges into Hatenna. She rolls back, but recovers quickly.

“Play Nice then Life Dew!” Bede commands, and Hatenna gives Raboot this look that makes him want to go easy on her. You _feel_ like his Attack was lowered, but you’re not totally sure. Raboot charges into her once more before she’s able to use her next move, which recovers her. “Protect!” Is Bede’s next order, coming too late for you to stop Raboot from crashing into the barrier. “Now Confusion!”

Up so close, Raboot can’t get out of the way of the wide attack. It knocks him back, and he hits his head hard. You _feel_ his dizziness as you stumble into your walker. Hop is quick to reach out and steady you, with a concerned “You ok, mate?”

You try to order Raboot to use Blaze Kick. It’s a stronger move, but you’ve noticed it takes longer for Raboot to use, leaving him open briefly. Raboot thumps against the ground as he doesn’t like the feel of the confusion through the bond, but his foot lights on fire as instructed by the move. It hurts him, and he cries out in pain. You clench your teeth and try to steady yourself for Raboot’s sake.

“Hey, mate?” Hop’s voice is whispered quietly, but right next to your ear. The feel of his breath against your ear sends a shiver down your spine.

“’M dizzy.” You don’t mean to slur your words like that. Hop clutches you tighter at this, a worried look plastered across his face.

You get a good look at Hatenna as Hop steadies you, and Raboot is able to jump out of the way of the next move in time. He lands directly in front of Hatenna, and you swell with pride at his jumping abilities even when so confused. Finally, he lands the kick before Hatenna can hit Raboot with another Confusion, and as the hit connects, Raboot snaps out of the confusion.

You jolt at this, suddenly not dizzy anymore. Hop seems to sense your steadiness. “Feeling better now?” He asks.

“Yeah, sorry.” You nod, and Hop’s arms slowly slide away from you, as if he’s afraid you’ll fall still if he lets go too quickly. Raboot is charging in once more to finish off Hatenna, but Hatenna prepares once more with Protect.

“Disarming Voice!” Bede shouts, and Hatenna lets out a harsh squeal. Raboot tumbles back, but carefully bounds himself off his hands and back onto his feet. Bede gives more orders, but Raboot is quicker this time. With a final, fiery tackle, Hatenna tumbles over. She briefly struggles to get up, before falling back down once more.

“Ace! You’re incredible, mate!” Raboot turns around and perks at Hop’s words. Hop wraps his arms around you in a tight hug, and you giggle. You pick up over your connection with Raboot that he thought Hop was talking to him for a moment.

_What, do you like the word ace?_ You ask him, and he nods. You _feel_ him remember the times Hop’s said the word around him, and he’s formed some sort of connection to it. It means something good, so he likes it, simple as that. You smile at Raboot, ruffling his fur as he comes over. _Do you want me to call you that?_ You haven’t nicknamed any of your Pokémon yet, and neither Hop nor Leon have nicknamed Pokémon. Raboot likes this name, however, and wants you to call him Ace.

“I see…” Bede is quiet, but you still hear him. “Well, that’s fine. I wasn’t really trying all that hard anyway.” He speaks louder, and you and Hop both erupt in laughter.

“’Wasn’t trying all that hard’? What a joke!” Hop mimics Bede’s earlier line teasingly, and Bede fumes for a moment, his shoulders raising as his fists clench. He suddenly sighs, pulling a potion out of one of his many pockets to heal his Hatenna.

“’I suppose I should show you how pathetic you are and how strong I am’. And the man _lost_ Hop. Devastating.” You mock with him, and Hop shoves a fist to his mouth to try to – but utterly fail to – stifle his laughter. He grips your walker as he doubles over with the effort of containing his laughter.

“Well, that was unexpected. I suppose you’re more able than I thought.” Bede responds after a moment, but he’s looking away from you both. He recalls his healed Hatenna and shoves a hand through his blond curls. “Naturally, I’ll remember your battle style and strategies now.”

“Why you little-“ Hop starts, and you raise your hand against his mouth to stop him, your knuckles brushing his lips as the back of your hand reaches his face.

“And we both have learned yours, so I think you took two losses here today, fam,” you taunt back, and Bede snarls briefly.

“I’ll surely defeat either of you if we face each other in an official match, if you even make it that far.” Bede smirks. Hop is about to get angry again, but you look at him and raise your hand back to his face.

“Evidence suggests otherwise, my guy. Good luck getting to the finals with all Psychic-types, by the way.” The audacity of this man, you’re not usually this good at responding to these situations. You realize you _feel_ Raboot riled up over this, and your confidence and quick remarks are likely aided by him. Those shared powerful feelings are sure coming in handy right now.

You want to tell Leon to suck it, these powerful feelings that overcome your own could be useful, too.

“I won’t waste any more time on you,” Bede growls, crossing his arms. “I’ve already gathered every Wishing Star in this area.” He quickly turns and stalks off towards the exit.

You drop your hand from Hop’s mouth, and exchange looks. “Didn’t he want our Wishing Stars?” You ask rhetorically, and Hop shrugs.

“What a nutter,” Hop replies, shaking his head.

You summon Rookidee out of his ball and pull potions out, healing both your Pokémon as Hop awkwardly shifts around beside you. You can see the blush on his face, and you’re trying to ignore the matching one on yours.

_He’s just embarrassed I shut him up,_ you think, and Raboot looks at you curiously. He’s beginning to understand this stuff – you just hope he won’t use this new-found knowledge to tease you.

“Ok, ready to go?” You ask Hop after you’ve got your Pokémon healed up.

Hop jolts, throwing his arms up in the air and stumbling back a bit. “Y-yup!” He stutters, and you’re unsure why he’s acting weird.

You walk out of the mines quietly. Your battle had scared off any wild Pokémon in the area, so the rest of your journey out goes by uneventfully. You breathe in the open air as you walk into the sunlight, and your lungs sigh in relief without you really meaning to. That stale air in the mines was really starting to bother your lungs, frustratingly enough. It was another reason you appreciated Hop carrying you so much.

As the path winds away from the large mountain containing the mines, you catch sight of the wide expanse of fields ahead of you. All sorts of crops dot them, and they spread across the various hills, the trail winding between them. It’s gorgeous, and you see wild Pokémon playing in between the various stalks of crops. Occasionally you see people or Pokémon out working on fields, but it’s mostly just empty expanse for as far as the eye can see.

You take another deep breath, and Hop laughs. “Really like the fresh air, eh mate?” He gently jabs his elbow into your side, and you swat back at him just as casually.

“You don’t?” You shoot back, and he just shakes his head at you.

“Not enough to make such a show of it!” You glare half-heartedly at him, and this only makes him laugh more.

You find a family who is fine with you setting your tents up on an empty part of their field as the sun begins to dip. You two have more time to set up your tent tonight, so with the added time and all the extra hands, and claws, you’re able to get the rickety tent set up.

Tonight’s fireside conversation is more jovial than the previous. When you begin to nod off, your head falling onto Hop’s shoulder, Hop sends you off to bed. The sun is barely setting, but you do feel exhausted. Raboot curls up in your arms as you tuck in for the night.

You hear the quiet conversation Hop is having with his Pokémon outside, but you can only make out bits and pieces. The sound of Hop’s voice lulls you to sleep regardless, and you sleep peacefully.

Morning still comes too soon, as Hop pokes his head into your tent to wake you. You groan at him, but at his threat, “I’ll drag you out of there if I have to. Ace will help me, won’t you?” Raboot trills in agreement, and you throw your arms up in surrender and agree to come out. Hop’s began using Raboot’s new nickname as well after you shared it with him last night.

You and Hop continue on your way to Turffield after an edible breakfast. “We really need to ask Sonia for cooking lessons,” you complain to Hop while you both swallow the food down. He nods his agreement sullenly.

You can see Turffield in the distance, Hop trotting ahead excitedly, when a Wooloo comes rolling down a hill. Your shouted warning comes too late for Hop, and the Wooloo nails right into him. Hop’s knocked over, and you bite your lip so you don’t laugh, in case he actually got hurt.

An incredibly buff man in a large sunhat that you recognize as the Gym Leader Milo comes running after the Wooloo. “My, are you ok? You took that tackle head on.” Milo stops near Hop, offering him a hand. Hop grabs it and groans.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Hop answers as he’s pulled to his feet, and you finally let out a laugh.

“Yeah, he’s got lots of practice being tackled by Wooloo,” you tease, and Hop shoots you a glare.

Milo laughs at this. “Ah, you’re the Gym Challengers Leon endorsed, aren’t you? I’ve heard all about your Wooloo wrangling skills from your brother, Hop. I look forward to seeing how you do in the Gym Mission!” Milo smiles kindly at Hop, and it seems this is enough for Hop to forget about you throwing him under the bus.

“It’s going to be easy peasy!” Hop declares, crossing his arms in determination.

Milo nods, looking you both over. “I’m surprised you’re both so late, I thought the Trainers endorsed by the Champion would be the first through my doors!” Milo scratches his chin, and you and Hop share a sad look.

“I, well,” you gesture vaguely at your leg, “I got injured, so we had to take some time off.” You answer honestly, and Milo nods, a sad look filling his eyes.

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to use the walker in the Gym Mission. Are you going to be able to handle it?” He asks you directly, and it frustrates you to learn this. Why was the League so inaccessible? It wasn’t fair.

“Well, I’ll check in with the doctors at the Center in Turffield to find out.” You shrug, and look away. You catch the look of distress on Hop’s face before you drop your eyes.

“Why can’t she use it? It’s not like on the pitch, that hardly seems fair,” Hop complains on your behalf, and you want to hug him. He’s such a great friend.

“Part of the Gym Challenge is proving your skills outside of battle. You have to be able to do that with just your own skills.” Milo tries to explain.

“But it would be my own skills. This just helps me make up for a lack of something else. It helps bring me closer to the same level as everyone else.” You speak up, growing confidence from Hop’s defence.

“I’m afraid that’s just not how it works.” Milo shakes his head sadly, and anger burns in you. You’ve had to deal with this bullshit most of your life, and now you have to deal with it here too? “As soon as you can do it without needing the walker, I encourage you to sign up at the Gym. I’ve been itching to see just how good the Champion-endorsed Gym Challengers are.” He gives you a sympathetic look, and you sigh.

Arguing further isn’t going to change anything, so you simply nod. Hop rubs your back, but he still looks angry. “We’ll sign up as soon as she’s ready,” Hop answers. You want to scold him, but he’s got that look in his eyes, the one that tells you there’s nothing you can say to change his mind on this. You’re not going to convince him to go on ahead without you. You don’t really want to, you find.

Milo frowns, but nods. “Come on, Wooloo. Back to the Stadium with you. There’s still plenty of Gym Challengers waiting!” Milo pats the Wooloo’s head and begins walking back to Turffield. He waves at the two of you before turning ahead. Wooloo follows along behind him.

Hop keeps a hand on your back as you make your way to Turffield together. Neither of you speak, but you’re glad for the comfort the contact with him provides. You both make your way to the Center once inside the town, thankful it’s near the entrance. You’re tired, and drained from learning of yet another hurdle, so it’s a relief to not have to travel far to find it. You’re less surprised by now by how fast you get seen in these Centers, and Hop follows you as a nurse leads you to a room.

A check-over and a few tests later, you and Hop are offered shelter as Trainers at the Center. It isn’t like either of you can afford an inn, and camping out again really doesn’t sound that appealing. A comfy bed and the promise of breakfast is enough to have you both drooling.

The room contains bunk beds, a single desk with a chair, and a lone dresser. “Bagsy!” Hop shouts as he darts up the ladder of the bunk beds.

“Go right ahead, I prefer the bottom anyways,” you reply, crashing onto the bottom bunk. Hop erupts into snorts of laughter, and it takes you a moment to realize why. You groan, and you’d throw the pillow beside you at him if you could see him. Raboot helpfully offers to do it for you, but you decline his offer. “You’re gross,” you respond instead.

“Takes one to know one,” he teases back, and he’s lucky he’s on the top bunk. You both get ready for bed, and talk long into the night once more. You’ll hear back more tomorrow from the doctors, so for tonight you and Hop can just take it easy.

It’s nice to be in a real bed once more, and it’s even nicer to have a bath. You manage to steal the bath first, so Hop spends a while at the door complaining about how long you spend. He takes even longer, however, and you make sure to bug him about it when he’s out.

You, Hop, and all your Pokémon eventually settle down for bed. You’re so relaxed from being clean and comfy that sleep takes you quickly. Hop is in your dreams, but by morning you can’t remember anything more than that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Bagsy means shotgun or dibs, it's staking a claim on something but Britishly
> 
> Hey hi I didn't realize that when I'd start writing slow burn I'd write slooooooow burn holy god we're all going to be old by the time anything happens between these two.  
> I love Bede. In my notes for his section, the only part I could read was "Fuckin BEDE the little shit at the end of the tunnel" so you know how much I adore him.  
> Also Hop and reader are QTs so pure  
> I wonder how long that will last?


	24. Chapter Twenty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly 80k words now... And still not even some kissing? What a rip off man I came here for romance.

The doctor, as it turns out, does not recommend tackling the Gym yet. Your leg is healing well, but such strenuous actions without a mobility aid could do permanent damage. You and Hop both frown upon hearing this news.

When the doctor has left, Hop turns to you with a sad smile. “Guess we’re waiting a bit longer,” he says softly, and tears well up in your eyes.

“No, Hoppy.” You grab one of his hands. “You should go do it. You don’t have to wait for me.” The fact that he’s still hanging by your side through all this, despite his dream, means a lot to you.

Hop blushes brightly, and squeezes your hand back. “What’s the point? Then I’d just be waiting around in Turffield for you. Might as well wait for the Gym too.” His smile is less sad now, a light dancing in his eyes as he watches you.

“I meant you should do the Gym and go ahead to the next town.” It hurts to say it; you feel a harsh pang in your heart. You don’t want him to leave, you really don’t, but this is his dream, and it hurts more knowing you’re the one keeping him from it.

He smiles but looks confused. “What would be the point of that? I already delayed, what are a few more days going to mean, really?” He shakes his head at you. “Stop feeling guilty about this, ok? I already made up my mind that I’m staying with you, so you’re stuck with me. Got it?”

You sigh, but nod. Hop gets ridiculously stubborn when he puts his mind to something, and he’s clearly put his mind to staying with you. There isn’t anything you’re going to be able to say to convince him. “Fine. No promises, though,” you reply after a moment, and he chuckles.

“Besides, it’d be pretty boring to go without you.” Hop speaks quieter than before, and doesn’t meet your eyes, but you still smile at him.

“I can’t argue with that, it really would.” You run your thumb over his knuckles, and he looks up to meet your eyes. He grins brightly, and launches into things the two of you can do in Turffield.

He eventually drags you out to go do these things, after you two take advantage of that breakfast in the cafeteria this morning. It’s nice to have some good food, and even your Pokémon are appreciative after the few days you spent on the road.

“Have you ever been to Turffield before?” You ask Hop as he leads you down a road, trying to explain some things you see to you. He’s not doing a very good job, which has prompted the question.

“Er, once? I was young though, there was some big market event here that Sonia’s Gran took her, Lee, and I to. I don’t really remember much about it, aside from clinging to Lee the whole time.” Hop scratches the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.

You giggle lightly at the image this brings in your head. “So you have no idea what’s really here, do you?” You ask him with a light hearted glare. You can’t wipe the smile from your face as you talk though, so Hop just grins back.

“Nope! Not a clue! Oh, but I bet I know who would,” Hop insists, suddenly straightening up and looking ahead. You tilt your head questioningly and look where he’s looking.

“Who?” You ask, not seeing anyone specific ahead, just a few people milling about and some Pokémon. A Yamper bounds through the crowd, and when Hop crouches down to meet the speeding dog, you realize you recognize him.

“Figure it out?” Hop asks you with a teasing lilt to his voice. You roll your eyes at him.

“Sonia’s Yamper, yes, Sonia is smart, I get it,” you wave a hand dismissively to him, and he rolls his eyes back at you.

“Wanna lead us to Sonia, Yamper?” Hop asks him as he scratches behind his ears, and Yamper barks enthusiastically. You and Hop follow Yamper for a while, he leads you around the edge of town towards the big hill with the pattern in the grass.

You’d been curious about it, but Hop had also had no clue about it, so he’d been useless. You hope Sonia knows more about it. As Yamper leads you and Hop up a sloped path, Hop has to help you as the walker catches on the planks of wood meant to help walk up the slanted path. You and Hop see Sonia sitting on a bench, staring off at the hill, when you reach the top. She’s facing away, so she doesn’t immediately see you two.

Hop looks at you with a mischievous glint in his amber eyes, and lifts a finger to his lips. You smile and nod, not sure what he’s planning yet. Yamper looks at Hop curiously also but remains quiet. Hop slowly walks over to Sonia, you and Yamper following a bit behind, and positions himself behind her. He leans down and blows on her neck, and the next thing you hear is a loud scream.

Hop doubles over in laughter, and even you cannot contain the laughter than comes out of you as Sonia jumps off the bench and whirls around. She glares at Hop, then at you and Yamper. “How dare you betray me, Yamper! You’re supposed to be on my side! And you!” She grabs Hop by the ear and he yelps. “Try that again, I dare you,” she threatens, pinching harder as Hop begins to beg.

“Ow! Ok, ok! Truce, please stop!” Hop swats at her hand and she eventually lets go when she deems Hop has suffered enough. Yamper runs over and also tries to beg for forgiveness.

“Oh, my sweet, how can I even remain mad at you with such a cute little face?” She baby-talks to Yamper as she scratches his cheeks, and he barks happily.

“Oh he gets off easy,” Hop complains, and Sonia makes another swipe for his ear, but Hop jumps out of the way quicker. “No!” He shouts, and then he darts behind you. “Hide me from the scary lady!” He says it loud on purpose, and Sonia glares at him.

You had managed to calm down from laughing, but this only sends you going again. Watching these two bicker like family brings a smile to your face. You miss your own family, and bickering like that with them. The tears that leak from your eyes are both from laughter and from the pang of homesickness that hits you while you watch.

Eventually an actual truce is reached, and Sonia turns the conversation back to her research. “I was hoping to hear what you two think, I’m beginning to get so consumed by this. An outsider’s opinion will help, I think. I tried asking Milo but he’s pretty busy with the Gym Challenge.” Sonia taps the end of her pen against her notebook as she speaks.

“Sure Sonia, how can we help?” You ask, and she waves you over. You and Hop sit down beside her on the bench.

She points up towards the patterns in the grass on the side of the hill. “What do you think of that geoglyph?” She turns to look at both of you, and you think for a moment.

“Uh, I’ve no idea, we were kind of hoping you could tell us what it was.” Hop answers, to which Sonia sighs.

If this had something to do with Sonia’s research, you thought about what you knew and how this might fit into it. It looked like a big creature was causing mayhem. “Dynamax maybe? Or the Darkest Day? That part kinda looks like a storm.” You point to a swirl in the pattern.

“Right perceptive of you. Especially since the portion depicting the black storm has mostly disappeared.” Sonia declares with a smile, and you feel proud of yourself for getting it right.

“That’s no fair, there was missing information!” Hop sputters, and you turn to him and stick out your tongue.

“I don’t even live here and I didn’t need it to figure it out,” you tease, and he shoves at you lightly.

“Are you two here to help, or not?” Sonia asks with a frustrated sigh. You and Hop both nod politely, and Sonia shakes her head. “A long time ago, a great black storm covered the Galar region. Giant Pokémon ran rampant… But what was that black storm they called the Darkest Day? What connection does it have to Dynamax?”

“Were you hoping this geoglyph might have some answers?” You look to Sonia, and she nods with a heavy sigh.

“Certainly more answers than it did.” She shrugs and purses her lips petulantly.

“How are you going to find the answers to those questions, Sonia?” Hop asks, a concerned look on his face.

“I’m the lucky lady who gets to put those answers together herself. Gran sure gives me a lot to do.” Sonia mumbles the last bit as she looks down to the ground.

“You going to head off to the next town for some answers?” Sonia looks up at your question and shakes her head.

“No, not yet. I’m going to spend some time with Milo later, when he’s free from Gym Challengers. Are you two heading planning on heading over there next?” You and Hop look to each other and share a sad look at her words. “Ah, it’s like that.” Sonia seems to understand without you having to further explain, at least.

“It’s not fair! Milo said she had to do the Gym Mission without her walker too. She should be allowed to use her walker for that part, at least!” Hop looks angry, and you don’t blame him, you share his feelings.

Sonia bites her lip. “No one ever said it would be easy.” Her words sound hollow even to you, and she can’t meet either of your eyes.

“Neither of us expected this to be easy, but this is just cruel! It’s punishing her! You’re friends with Milo, right? Talk to him! Convince him this is wrong!” Hop is really riled up about this, and you set a hand over his knee and squeeze it to thank him. He catches your small smile with a sad one of his own.

“I don’t think it’s something Milo can change, Hop. Those kind of rules come down from the League itself.” Sonia’s speaking funny, like she’s specifically choosing her words and being careful about what she says.

If Hop notices, he doesn’t say anything. “Then it’s something Lee could change?”

Sonia shakes her head sadly. “Don’t you think that he would have done that if he could? You’d have to go above him, even. To the Chairman.”

Hop frowns, and so do you. There’s not much luck of that happening, you doubt he’s the sympathetic type somehow. Things fall into an awkward silence after that. Sonia returns to her work after a bit, and Hop keeps shooting you glances.

You’re not sure what he wants, but he finally leans into you and whispers in your ear “Wanna go get lunch?” The feeling of his breath on your ear makes you jump slightly, but you nod. Lunch sounds nice, and getting away from this heavy atmosphere sounds even better.

Sonia politely waves at you as you leave, but she’s quiet otherwise. Seems she’s absorbed by her work now, so you and Hop leave her be. You let Hop lead, but he’s not really sure where he’s going, so the two of you wander around in search of something appealing.

You pass the Stadium on your travels; it’s quite busy, with lots of people filing in and out of the doors. You see several Gym Challenger uniforms among the crowd of people, so there still must be lots of people at this Gym today. You had thought that after so many days, there would be less Gym Challengers stuck at the first Gym.

You bring this up to Hop, and he nods. “Yeah, the Gym Challenge is tough. A lot of people don’t even make it past one Gym. It’s not unusual for Milo’s Gym to be busy for a while.” You hope you and Hop are able to make it past without much trouble – once you can challenge it, that is.

Lunch brings smiles back to everyone’s faces. Hop and the Pokémon have a ton of energy after, so he suggests you all go train. There are a lot of Gym Challengers training outside town, so Hop leads you over there in hopes that the two of you can get some practice in. It’s different training against other trainers than it is against wild Pokémon, yet neither of you lose a match.

“If we keep this up, Milo will be a piece of cake!” Hop grins as you head back to the Center to get some well-deserved rest for the night. You nod along, feeling more confident in your battle skills after some victories.

You’re back to feeling pretty down though. A lot of the people you’d faced had made comments about the walker, and it left you feeling incredibly self-conscious. You know Hop overheard some, as he’s been making it his job to try and cheer you up.

You try to smile for him, you really do, but it’s hard when you keep hearing their words in your head.

“How do you expect to do anything with _that_?”

“Pfft, can you even battle with that?”

“Should I even battle you? I’m not going to hurt you, am I?”

The taunts, the laughter, it circles in your head even as you try to concentrate on the words Hop is saying. They seep into your dreams at night, and follow you into your morning. Hop buzzes around you all day to cheer you up.

One of the things that you spend a lot of time doing is practicing walking and moving without the walker. You’re going to have to be able to run and twist and jump if you want to get any Gym Badges. The doctor at the Center here in Turffield is very helpful though, and gives you exercises to do that will help with your range of movement. Hop eagerly helps you with these every day.

While you and Hop train with your Pokémon, Hop’s Grookey evolves. After another battle that Hop wins, Hop is in the middle of throwing his fist up in the air in celebration when Grookey begins to glow white. Hop gasps, and positively beams as the light fades and reveals Hop’s newly evolved Pokémon.

“Thwackey! Look at you!” Hop exclaims as he wraps his newly evolved Thwackey up in a hug. “Now we’re _really_ set for the Gym!”

You congratulate both, as do your Pokémon, who are very excited to play with their friend. You watch on while Hop works out the new move Thwackey has just learned. Raboot helpfully offers to train with his friend to help Hop and Thwackey out.

You’ve spent a few days here in Turffield, and you and Hop are both getting a little bored. There isn’t that much to do, and you’ve both beat every trainer in town by now. There’s only so much time you can spend on your exercises every day too, or you’ll injure yourself. You’re both relieved to hear from the doctor that you can finally take on the Gym Mission, for multiple reasons.

After breakfast, it’s the first place you go for the day. Hop wants to get there early enough to put your names down so you don’t have to wait long. He keeps dashing ahead, only to dash back to you. You can tell from the way he keeps jerking his hand towards you, only to quickly pull it back, that he really wants to pull you along with him like he used to do. You’re glad he has the self-restraint to not, but it still makes you a bit sad. You miss those days, too.

“Yes, the first Gym Mission! Time to wrangle some Wooloo!” Hop shouts as he comes out of the change room in his uniform. You’re not allowed to watch him do the Mission, as you have not done it yet, but Hop has promised to tell you all about it so you can prepare.

Hop is done incredibly fast. In fact, he’s done so fast, it causes a commotion. You manage to overhear that Hop’s broken the previous record for fastest time, and your heart swells with pride. You wish you could have watched, though!

When Hop comes out with the widest grin on his face, you throw your arms around him in a hug. “Congratulations Hop! You’re incredible!” You gush to him, and he wraps his arms back around you just as tight.

“I was on fire, you should have seen me!” Hop launches into his story, and you lap it up, both for the information that will be relevant to you when you go to do it in a minute, and because Hop is just such a good story teller. You love listening to him spin tales.

When Hop’s finished, and he’s given you some helpful tips, you head to the change room to get ready yourself. You’re thankful you picked up the longer shorts and some thigh high socks; you can’t see any bandages now. Everyone’s eyes are going to be on you in your match with Milo, now you don’t have to be as self-conscious about it. Hop is going to watch you and cheer you on, both during the Mission and when you face Milo, and you’re glad for the support. You hope you can do it without the walker.

Hop keeps your walker for you as you’re lead through the doors to where the Gym Mission is held. You have to limp, but thankfully the League Staff who takes you there keeps a slow pace for you. When she opens the door, you’re met with a large room with multiple fields, and obstacles in those fields. You can see where the Wooloo are, and your eyes follow the path you’ll have to lead them down to the finish.

Another League Staff walks up to you and launches into an explanation about how the Gym Mission works. You have to herd Wooloo to the end of the course within the time limit. You can use your Pokémon to help, thankfully, so you let Raboot and Rookidee out of their Pokéballs.

There are Gym Trainers who get in your way and try to sabotage you, but your Pokémon help make quick work of them. Raboot frequently lets you lean against him as well, and helps you up every time you fall over.

The Wooloo are truly unruly. They go every which way when you try to wrangle them, and you want to wail every time one runs off in the completely opposite direction. Raboot is better at this than you are, so he helps you chase the Wooloo. Rookidee focuses on the Trainers and their Pokémon, who keep trying to chase off the Wooloo.

You trip a lot while trying to move quickly, and sometimes a Wooloo rolls into you and knocks you over. It’s painful, and incredibly difficult. But you get up every time, because Hop is watching. You can hear him cheer for you every time you fall over or make a mistake, and every time it reminds you why you’re here and why you’re doing this.

Raboot helpfully reminds you, too, _to be the best!_ And you nod to him. You can’t get to Leon without doing this first. You take a deep breath as the Wooloo roll into the last field. It’s almost over.

The clock is running down though, you don’t have a whole lot of time left to finish this. You bite your lip as you send Rookidee after the Yamper that comes charging towards the Wooloo. Raboot splits off from you when a couple of Wooloo roll off in a different direction. Less than a minute left now, and you can see the goal.

You chase your group of Wooloo along the wall, and they file into the goal. 30 seconds left. Raboot comes running with his group, and you step out of the way to let him herd the Wooloo into the goal. 15 seconds left. The counter stops at 19/20 Wooloo, and sheer panic courses through your veins.

You see the Wooloo through Rookidee’s eyes. You can’t run there fast enough, Raboot might be able to but likely wouldn’t be able to run back in time with it. Rookidee flies low and pecks at the back of the Wooloo, and tries to guide it to the goal.

You’re mentally counting down, _ten, nine, eight,_ as Rookidee and the Wooloo come closer. _Six, five, four,_ it’s going to be close, Rookidee is keeping the Wooloo rolling in a straight line. _Three, two,_ you and Raboot both stay to the side as the Wooloo rolls in on _one_ and the timer stops. You collapse in relief; you’ve done it.

Rookidee and Raboot come and hug you while you let yourself sob for a moment. You’re in so much pain, but you’re relieved it’s over. Raboot helps you up, and leads you to the exit. Once through the doors, you’re surprised to find Hop right there waiting for you. He wraps you up in a tight hug, and you collapse against him as your leg gives out.

“You did it, mate! You really did it!” Hop shouts right in your ear, and you hug him and cry. He rubs your back, eventually pulling away to hand you your walker. He helps you back down the hallway and out to the lobby. Even with the walker, it’s difficult to walk with how much pain you’re in, and Hop has to keep a strong grip on you to keep you from falling over. “You ready to battle Milo now?” Hop asks you with a concerned frown as he helps you sit on a bench.

You shake your head sadly. “I can barely move, Hop. My leg hurts so much. I’m not going to be able to do it today.” Hop frowns further at your words, but nods.

“You look like you’re in a lot of pain, mate. Come on, let’s let the staff know we’ll be back tomorrow to fight Milo and get changed.” Hop helps you up, and keeps a supporting arm around your waist as you inform the staff.

Your names are taken off the schedule for today, and Hop leads you to the change room. Raboot and Rookidee once again have to help you get changed, as with last time, you’re in too much pain to do it alone. When you go to pull off your socks, you notice you’ve bled through your bandages. Worry seeps into the pit of your stomach. This can’t be good, you just hope you haven’t done permanent damage or anything.

“Hop?” You call out weakly, and he comes over. “I’m bleeding through my bandages,” you tell him through the door of the stall.

“That’s bad, we’ll get you to the Center, ok?” Hop sounds concerned, and you chew the skin off your lip as you carefully finish getting dressed again. You hate worrying him like this.

You’ve just gone back into the lobby when Milo runs up to the two of you. “I’ve just been informed you two removed your names from the schedule today, is everything ok?” He asks as he comes to a stop in front of you.

You shake your head, but Hop explains for you. “She’s reopened her wound, I’m taking her to the Center now.” Hop hardly stops to talk with Milo, still urging you on to get you to the Center.

Milo’s face falls in concern, but he nods. “Now that you’ve done the Gym Mission, you can come back any time to challenge me. I hope to see you both soon!” Milo calls after you as Hop leads you out.

“That was a bit rude,” you speak when you’re out the front doors.

“What?” Hop asks incredulously.

“We could have at least stopped to talk to him, he seemed worried,” you answer, and Hop’s lips pull into a line.

“If he was really concerned, he would have let you do the Mission with your walker.” Hop is determinedly looking forward as he declares. You know he’s blaming Milo for your pain, but you’re not really sure how to change his attitude on this. Sonia and you had already tried.

The rest of the walk continues in silence. It’s a slow walk with how much pain you’re in, but thankfully you’re brought back into a room nearly as soon as you arrive. You’re given pain medication and the doctor comes in immediately. It’s still weird to be seen soon, but today you’re especially thankful you don’t have to spend the hours waiting in the waiting room in pain.

Whether you’ve damaged it or not remains to be seen, but the doctor stitches it back up for you and re-bandages it. Your wound doesn’t actually look that bad once it’s sewn back up, so you hope everything is fine and it was just the strenuous activity that opened it up.

You really don’t want to be waiting even longer. You don’t want to keep holding Hop back.

Hop cuddles with you on the bottom bunk that night, more for mutual comfort at this point because you’re both upset by this development. He keeps his arms around you all night as the two of you talk idly about whatever comes to mind. You two end up falling asleep that way, and it’s nice to fall asleep in Hop’s arms again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn’t sure how people could fail the Gym Mission, and Milo mentions making it hard so people don’t get past it. So I added a time limit as a means to fail by because it’s all I could think of. Creative license.  
> Milo isn’t a bad guy I swear guys-  
> Hop is protective of the reader it’s cute I want to hug him so much.
> 
> I have Interlude Four and Chapter Twenty-One all written up already and I… Buckle in guys, the Interlude is going places. There will be a content warning. It’s not necessary to read to understand the story, so if you would like to skip it for your sanity, you may.  
> I’m not burning myself out by posting every day this time like a dummy so ya’ll get to be patient while I edit.  
> So since I don't have a beta editor... If anyone would like to be my beta reader I'd love that, please hit me up about that.


	25. Interlude Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Porn in the third one, talk of abuse in the fourth one  
> Finally some more Leon/Raihan and Raihan/Piers
> 
> Also we are now Beta Read and no longer dying like men. We can now die as the gender we identify as! Thank you Audzilla28 for volunteering yourself as tribute.

You’re in some sort of ballroom, you think. It’s like something out of a castle, with gorgeous archways and ornate detailing on the walls and vaulted ceiling. Lush curtains frame beautiful balconies that overlook a scenic garden illuminated by moonlight. A soft waltz plays, and people in fancy outfits dance and mingle with one another. You are in an equally elegant ball gown, and you feel like you’re in a fairy tale.

A hand rests on your shoulder, and you gasp as it startles you. You spin around to see who’s there, and are surprised to see Leon, dressed up with a fancy red jacket and jabot. He offers his hand to you like he’s asking you to dance, and you take it.

He pulls you into his arms, and spins the two of you out onto the dance floor. You don’t remember learning to dance, but somehow with Leon, you flawlessly waltz around the floor. He says something that makes you laugh, and neither of you call out the blush you wear across your cheeks.

The two of you are suddenly out on a balcony, and Leon whispers something in your ear that makes you gasp and tears well up in your eyes. When you rub them dry, you’re surprised to find Hop is the one standing beside you now, and he grins at you as he holds your hand.

He’s dressed like a prince, and you notice that you’re in a matching outfit of a complimentary colour. He gestures with his head and eyes like you should be paying attention ahead of you, so you look away from him to see what’s there.

You’re not on that balcony anymore, you’re on some kind of altar, and there’s two men standing before you and Hop. They both place crowns on your heads at the same time, and you hear a crowd cheering behind you. Hop squeezes your hand, and when you look out the corner of your eyes, you can see him still smiling at you.

But his hand is suddenly ripped from yours as the roar of a beast sounds behind you. You feel yourself blown over, and tumble forward onto the hard ground. You see Hop’s been blown away similarly, he’s back in his jean jacket now though. You look behind you to see a massive beast hovering against a dark sky.

Hop shouts to you, he’s gotten back up, so you stand back up as well. You try to run over to him, but the massive beast swings down just ahead of you, right where Hop’s standing. A scream rips out of your throat, and the beast lashes its limb toward you, knocking you flat on your back.

You feel woozy, almost drugged, and when you blink, it feels like it takes significant effort to open your eyes. Everything is dark now, but the figure of a man looms over you, and it’s the only thing you can make out. It hurts, but you can’t move to fight back.

Icy fear grips you, and you just need to get _up_ -

……………

She wakes with a jolt, sitting upright quickly in her bed. She shoves forward, at an imaginary man that isn’t there, crying and gasping as the realization that it’s just a dream sinks in.

“Ugh, that dream again?” Her voice sounds strained even to her own ears. The room is dark, so it must still be night. She wipes at her face, and contemplates going back to sleep.

The feeling of the nightmare sticks with her though, so she opts to get up and wash up. It’s a struggle to the washroom still, her strength isn’t returning as quickly as the doctors had hoped it would. She flicks on the light and washes her face in the sink. When she’s done, she looks up at the mirror.

Her own tired reflection stares back, faded brown hair and dull brown eyes, and she sighs. She wanders back into her room and sits on her bed. Her eyes fall to the ‘call nurse’ button by the bed. If she pressed it, would the nurse that came let her get up and walk around? Maybe let her go see her child?

Pressing it brings a nurse, and evidently the answer is still no. Frustrated by her situation and bothered by her nightmare, the brunette throws herself back into her bed. She doesn’t go back to sleep though, instead opting to go over her nightmare and process it.

She had names to the faces in her dreams now, thanks to what that man had told her… Yesterday? Earlier today? She wasn’t sure what time of night it was, there were no clocks in here. Rubbing at her eyes, she tries to piece together what it could all mean. Are those memories?

She imagines they could be, he’d only managed to impart about a month’s worth of memories today before he’d had to leave. He had said he had ten months’ worth of them, maybe they were from a part he hadn’t got to yet.

That, or they’re just things her fragmented mind is putting together in confusion. She shakes her head to dispel this, as it’s not getting her anywhere. The man had said he would be back again to continue, so she knew she should try and get more sleep. They’re just dreams, after all, and she has no idea what they truly mean.

Try as she might, sleep will not take her. Her thoughts keep her up the rest of the night. Who _is_ she?

\----------------------------------------------------------

“You know, it’s been a long time since you last invited me out with you,” Sonia speaks up as she stirs the curry. She looks over her shoulder to see Leon still fighting with his tent. “That’s how you wrecked your last kit, dummy, just follow the instructions.” She shakes her head with a smile and turns back to her curry.

“I, uh, lost them,” Leon mumbles, and Sonia snorts.

“Of course you did. Here, come stir this, I’ll get it.” Sonia gestures him over, and as soon as Leon lets go of the poles he was holding, his half of the tent falls over. The half that Charizard was helping hold still stands, and Charizard grunts at Leon about it.

Sonia next interrupts the silence when they’re sitting around a nice fire, enjoying the curry that Leon only burnt a little with his stirring. “So remind me what ultra-rare Pokémon we’re hunting for out here?” She prompts as she wipes Yamper’s face clean; he’s quite the messy eater.

“A Grookey, a Scorbunny, or a Sobble. Ideally, all three, but I know my chances of that are pretty low,” Leon answers after a moment, finishing his mouthful of food first.

Sonia nods. “And what do you want them for? You were pretty vague about it on the phone.”

Leon frowns, “Well… They’re strong Pokémon. I really want Hop to do the Gym Challenge this year, and I don’t know how else to encourage him to go. He’s ready, he’s been ready since he was 16; I don’t know why he hasn’t wanted to go yet. I’m hoping that getting a strong Pokémon will be the encouragement he needs to want to sign up this year.” Leon looks down at his food while he speaks, and Sonia knows Leon’s been worried about this for a while now.

She’s heard him vent about this in the past. Hop talks a big game, but when the Gym Challenge rolls around each year, he makes up some excuse about being unable to do it. Last year, Hop had pretended to be sick, and even though Leon knew Hop was faking, he went along with it for Hop. Sonia smiles sympathetically at Leon, and pats his leg.

“I think that’s a good idea. But why all three then? That would be too much for Hop to handle at once, don’t you think?” Sonia asks, and Leon lets out a sudden laugh.

“Oh, they’re not all for Hop! I was hoping he’d get to pick his favourite, the one that fit with him the best.” Leon explains with a wave of his hand, but at least he’s back to smiling again.

“So what will you do with the other two, then?” Sonia prods with a raised eyebrow, and Leon only laughs again.

“Train them myself, of course! They’re strong Pokémon!” Sonia rolls her eyes at Leon’s words, but smiles with him anyways.

“Figures,” Sonia mutters. Conversation flows easier after that, the two of them talking until the stars are out, catching up and reminiscing about their days in the Gym Challenge themselves. They pack up quickly when morning comes, as Leon wants to start his search early.

Their trip is planned to last five days, and with All Stars approaching, Leon makes use of this time training his Pokémon as well. Multiple times, Leon tries to prod Sonia into battling with him one more time, but she blows him off each time.

It’s beginning to feel like they’re not going to find any of them at all; they’ve searched all the known habitats for those species of Pokémon. It’s on their last day that, by some stroke of luck, Sonia manages to find a Scorbunny sunbathing on a rock in a small clearing.

As Leon and Charizard approach, Charizard steps on a twig, alerting the small Pokémon. He leaps up, and seems ready for a fight. Leon and Charizard share a look as the Scorbunny charges toward Charizard. He tackles into one of Charizard’s legs, and it looks like Charizard didn’t even feel it at all. Leon flashes an excited grin to Sonia, he’s clearly thrilled that not only did she find one, but that it stayed to battle.

The Scorbunny tackles into Charizard’s legs a few more times, while Charizard watches on in amusement at this Pokémon’s attempts to take him down. “Careful now, my friend, he’s weak,” Leon calls out to Charizard, and Charizard snorts in affirmation. The Scorbunny looks like he understood, because he looks offended, and charges into Charizard so hard that he sends himself recoiling away from the impact.

This gets a grunt out of Charizard, and Leon lets out a laugh that this little Pokémon was able to actually hurt Charizard. “Tough little guy!” Leon’s grin has his eyes in slits it’s so wide, and he’s already pulled out an empty Pokéball in preparation.

As the Scorbunny recovers, he charges again at Charizard. This time, Charizard simply bats the Scorbunny away with a swing of his tail, and the Scorbunny tumbles backwards, hitting a tree. He gets back up, but staggers. He doesn’t give up, though, and charges at Charizard once more.

Leon tosses the Pokéball at him before he can connect. The ball shakes for a while, and Sonia doesn’t realize she was holding her breath until the light on the ball clicks green, and she sighs in relief.

“Yes! We did it!” Leon and Charizard high-five, and then Leon strikes his Charizard pose before picking up the Pokéball. Sonia grins at him as we walks back over.

“Congrats! You got one!” She beams, and he wraps her up in a hug she was not expecting, “Oh!”

“Thank you,” he confesses quietly before letting her go. “I couldn’t have done this without your help.” They both share a sad look, the hug a reminder of what never worked out, before Leon gestures. “Come on, we were lucky enough to find one, and there’s still daylight left. You up for hunting for more?”

Sonia smiles softly, “Of course!”

\----------------------------------------------------------

It has to be perfect. Leon can’t afford for it not to be. He needs this to go exactly as planned. Which is why, at 4 AM, he’s looking up all of Raihan’s favourite places around Hammerlocke, routing a path that would hit each one. If this night doesn’t end with Raihan letting him top, Leon’s considering it a failure.

He’s got a whole plan to woo Raihan. He’s picking the man up from work when he’s done, where they’ll fly around the city on Charizard’s back, letting Raihan talk about this city he loves so much. Leon will, of course, try his best to follow along, but this stuff never stays with him. Once they’ve had their fill, Leon is going to take Raihan to a fancy restaurant for dinner, and when they’re done, there’s a beautiful park nearby that the two of them can let their Pokémon out and walk through while the stars come out.

It’s clichéd and hopelessly romantic, and Leon knows Raihan will love it. Raihan loves these gestures he makes, so Leon keeps making them. He made the reservation over a month ago, but he’s revisited and revamped this map many times over the month. He needs it to be _perfect_ , after all. They have to see every spot Raihan loves, they can’t miss a single one, and they have to fly over them slow enough that Raihan has the time to vent about each place. He’s been training with Charizard to fly _slower_ , which Charizard has hated, but he’s willing to do it for Leon and their date, as Charizard tolerates Raihan, which is the closest any one really gets with the large lizard.

Except Kieran, she’d somehow got in Charizard’s good books on day one. Leon still didn’t understand it.

Nevermind Kieran right now, the girl is the whole reason he needs this to be perfect. After running out on Raihan without so much as a word, Leon feels awful. Raihan is a little upset, but he understood when Leon explained the full situation. Still upset, which Leon means to use this to apologize for.

The Gym Challenge is underway now, and Kieran is off with Hop now, so Leon no longer has to worry. Hop promised him he’d take care of the girl, so Leon lets himself focus on his work rather than her. Which, he’s putting off his real work for this, but this is more important. Rose can suck it, he’ll get to the paperwork when he gets to it.

Route set, as Leon knows he’ll need the help to not get lost, the man yawns loudly before turning in for all of two hours, having to get up early still to get to his real work. The day drags on, but Leon knows that’s just because he’s looking forward to tonight so much. Raihan has no idea, either, which makes this plan even better. It was going to be something else originally, this date night, but now Leon has to use it to make up for his departure. Which is why it _has to be perfect._

Rose finally lets him go at the end of the day with a warning about being so distracted, and Leon forces a smile so Rose won’t know what’s _really_ going on. Rose would be right livid with him if he found out he was so distracted because of such personal reasons.

Leon gets on Charizard to make the flight to Hammerlocke faster. He doesn’t want to be late to picking Raihan up, after all. That, and it gives Charizard a chance to fly fast like he wants to, and gets him the exercise he needs. The flight through the mountains is cold, so Leon brings a warm jacket to get through.

It takes a bit over an hour for Leon to get from Wyndon to Hammerlocke on Charizard’s back. He heads straight for the Stadium, aiming to grab Raihan before the man can leave. He finds Raihan inside, cleaning up after a day of work and training. “Raihan!” Leon calls, a bright smile taking up his face as he laid eyes on his lover.

“Yo, Leon? What are you doing here?” Raihan turns to face Leon, surprise written on his features.

“Coming to pick you up for a date!” Leon beams, then looks around, his face shifting to worry. He shouldn’t have said that so loud where others could be around. Thankfully, no one is around, but Raihan still gives him a hard look.

“Careful,” Raihan warns, eyes narrowing. Fuck, this is supposed to be _perfect_ , and already Leon’s fucking it up.

“Sorry! I’ll be more careful! But you’ll love this date, my love,” Leon promises, offering his arm to Raihan. The taller man takes it, allowing Leon to lead him out of the Stadium. He lets go when they reach the lobby and there are others around, but still stands close beside Leon as they walk.

“Hey, finish up for me, guys, something’s come up,” Raihan orders the staff, tossing it over his shoulder as they leave. A few shout affirmations that Raihan need not worry, they had it covered. Raihan waves over his shoulder as thanks as the couple exit the building.

“You ready for a ride?” Leon asks when they’re outside.

“What exactly do you have planned for me?” Raihan raises an eyebrow, following Leon over to Charizard.

“You’ll see, just climb on.” Leon gestures for his partner to get up on Charizard, following after Raihan and wrapping his arms around him as he sits behind him.

“Ok, can’t wait to see how this goes!” Raihan shouts as they take off, Charizard following Leon’s directions as he lead the Fire-type along his carefully routed path. He’d shared it with Charizard this morning as well, so the Pokémon would have an idea of what they were doing to help keep them from getting lost.

“I promise, you’ll have a good time,” Leon speaks right into Raihan’s ear, and he can feel the man shiver at the action.

“Oh hey.” Raihan isn’t distracted by Leon’s voice long. “That’s Noivern Park! I love going there to train, there’s always lots of strong Trainers there!” It’s working, Raihan’s launching into descriptions and explanations and stories about every place they fly over, gushing endlessly about his precious city. Born and raised here, Leon couldn’t really understand the loyalty. He felt some pride in Wyndon, but nothing quite like Raihan felt for Hammerlocke.

“The Vault! Ah, my favourite building in this whole city,” Raihan sighs dreamily, before launching into an explanation about the new exhibit they have going on. “I’ll have to take you sometime,” Raihan finishes, looking over his shoulder and offering a grin to Leon.

“I’d like that. When we’re alone, though, so I can get the _real_ Raihan tour.” Leon winks at him, and Raihan blushes slightly. Leon only notices because he’s so trained to spot these tiny details. It’s part of what made him such an impressive Trainer.

The flight is a great way for Leon to spend as long as he likes holding as tight as he wants to the man he loves. He rests his chin on Raihan’s shoulder, and talks softly directly into Raihan’s ear, knowing full well what it does to him. It‘s not that hard to hear each other going slow like this, either. The breeze is nice, causing Leon’s hair and cape to billow out gracefully behind him. People below spot and point up at their flying figures, but they mostly ignore it. Leon knows they can’t see both him and Raihan on Charizard from the height they’re at, so he’s not overly worried.

Leon listens to Raihan’s excited voice with a love-drunk look on his face. He’s so gone for this man, even if he can barely keep up with everything Raihan tells him. He’s trying, and even if he won’t remember much of this, it’s nice to spend this time together.

“Now, I’m taking you to Dimanche for dinner, did you want to go home and change before hand?” Leon offers, knowing how much care and effort Raihan puts into his appearance.

“Hell yes, I fucking love that place. What are you planning?” Raihan once again asks, but Leon dodges his question.

“You’ll just have to see. Can you direct us back to your place from here? I’m afraid I only memorized the route, and now I’m lost.” Raihan barks out a laugh, elbowing Leon lightly from his place in front of the shorter man.

“Yeah, yeah, you absolute walnut. You’re lucky you’re charming.” Raihan directs Charizard back to his home, and Leon waits on Raihan’s couch while the man changes and gets ready for their date.

When Raihan comes down the stairs dressed in all black, his hair tied back and the bandana gone, Leon feels his heart rate pick up. In that moment, Leon can think of no one more beautiful, and he stands and embraces the man, kissing him passionately. Raihan kisses back, tongues delving into each other’s mouths as they hold each other tightly.

All too soon Leon is pulling away, aware of their reservation. “Come on, we should get going, Rai. Don’t want to miss our spot,” he whispers against Raihan’s lips. The taller man cracks into a grin at the action, briefly planting one more kiss on Leon’s lips before pulling away fully.

“Yes, love, let’s get going, shall we?” He tugs Leon out of his home, locking up behind them as Leon calls Charizard over.

“You have all your Pokémon with you?” Leon asks, turning to Raihan as he looks the man over.

Raihan pats his pocket. “Again, what are you planning?”

“You’ll see.” Leon winks, offering his hand to help Raihan up onto Charizard’s back – not that the tall man needs it.

“I guess I will.” Raihan takes Leon’s offered hand, getting up onto Charizard’s back. Leon climbs up after him again, once again wrapping his arms around Raihan tightly. Charizard flies them straight to the restaurant, and Leon recalls the giant when they go inside.

“You’re really pulling out all the stops tonight,” Raihan remarks as they’re seated in a quiet back corner, tucked away from the rest of the patrons so they wouldn’t be bothered.

Leon chuckles. “I suppose I am. You’re worth it, though.” Leon winks again, laughing louder when the action brings a blush to Raihan’s face.

“You’re so rude. You’re lucky I’m having a good time. I refuse to have my mood ruined by you laughing at me.” Raihan crosses his arms, though his glare carries little weight combined with the smile on his face.

“Fine, fine, I’m sorry. What do you think you’re getting tonight?” Leon asks as he lifts the menu, and conversation flows easily from there. It’s so nice to be able to talk so freely with the Gym Leader, as they so rarely get so much uninterrupted time together.

The food is delicious, and the two men share as they always do. It’s more for Raihan’s benefit, as Leon doesn’t care what’s in front of him, so he lets Raihan order for him. That way, Raihan can try two of whatever he likes, and as someone who considers himself a lover of food, this was very important to Raihan. Leon just likes to make him happy.

Leon makes the quiet request for meals for their Pokémon while Raihan isn’t paying attention, giving the waitress the number of meals they’d need and asking to have them ready for when they’re done. The waitress nods and promises him they’ll meet his request before leaving. Things are going well, and Leon is happy. Things are going as perfect as he wanted them to.

Once they wrap dinner up, the waitress brings them all the meals Leon requested. “What’s all this for?” Raihan asks, clearly confused.

“You’ll see,” Leon promises, tipping well and easily carrying the box with all the food in it. As they head outside, Leon tries to direct them to the park nearby, but ends up needing Raihan’s help. “Sorry, you know I’m shit with directions. Didn’t mean to get us turned around.”

“It’s fine, you know I love going to Noivern Park. Is all this food for our Pokémon?” Raihan correctly guesses, and Leon laughs.

“It is!”

Once at the park, they let out all their Pokémon and begin handing out the meals. The two men sit on a bench together, watching their Pokémon eat and play together. The Pokémon are enjoying the fancy meals, and once they’re done, they begin playing, chasing each other around and rough housing in the grass. It brings a smile to both men’s faces.

“So what was all this for?” Raihan asks as the sun sets along the horizon, lighting the sky pink and red.

“I just wanted to do something really nice for you after I had to run out on you the last time we were able to be together. I’m sorry, I hope you’ll accept my apology,” Leon explains, a frown tugging at his lips.

“Tosser, of course I do. You went to all this trouble for that?” Raihan has a beautiful smile on his face, and it makes Leon’s heart sore.

“Yeah. You’re worth it. I just wanted to make you happy.” Leon speaks with a dreamy lilt to his voice, a fuzzy smile stretching across his face.

“Well, you did. I’m really happy.” Raihan looks out at their Pokémon, content and satisfied with an amazing day.

Leon looks at him, watching the way the setting sun dyes his dark skin red. When the sun has fully set, Leon slips his hand into Raihan’s using the cover of darkness to hide their hands. One of the reasons Raihan loved this park so much was the lack of lights at night, coating the park in a serene darkness. There were a few lights along one of the paths, but most remained dark and unlit.

“Want to take a walk with me?” Leon asks, standing and tugging at Raihan’s hand.

“Sure.” Raihan stands, towering slightly over Leon. Their shoulders brush as they walk hand in hand down random paths, Raihan letting Leon lead, just for the fun of it. He keeps them from leaving the park, but otherwise doesn’t control where Leon leads them, as he avoids the lights well enough.

It’s nice to be able to do this regular couple stuff. They get so few chances to spend time together, and even fewer where they can act like a regular couple. Their relationship is a secret, so they have to be careful about it. It’s infuriating and exhausting, but they have to, for the sake of their reputations. If word got out, it would ruin their relationship with each other as fans and the media would try to tear them apart.

Leon yawns, and Raihan tugs him to a stop. “Ready to gather our Pokémon and head home?” He asks, and Leon lights up. He still has plans for Raihan, after all, if his partner is up for it.

“Yeah, let’s head home.” It doesn’t feel weird to refer to Raihan’s home as his own, he stays over there enough. He has a ton of stuff there, too. He has a key, even. He stays there more than he does at his family home these days, so it’s more a second home than anything else.

Collecting their Pokémon is a challenge in the dark – none of them have left the park, as they know better, but they have scattered across the entire park. Once rounded up and recalled to their balls, they take Flygon home, letting Charizard rest after he flew all day. Raihan lets them in, and Leon’s on him as soon as the door is closed. His hands travel all over Raihan, caressing wherever he can reach, his lips claiming Raihan’s passionately as he turns Raihan and slams him into the door.

Raihan moans at the action, loving when they get physical like this. He fights back weakly, but Leon overpowers him easily. He just wants Leon to push him around right now, so he eggs Leon on by fighting him. Leon growls into the kiss, slamming Raihan’s hands above his head, holding both around the wrist with one hand. Raihan knows he could twist his hands and get out, if he did so hard enough, but he doesn’t want to right now. He give in, letting Leon take what he wants.

And what he wants is to devour Raihan. He kisses him passionately, before pulling away to kiss along Raihan’s jaw and down his neck. With his free hand, Leon begins tugging Raihan’s shirt off, undoing the buttons one by one. Once they’re all undone, Leon lets go of Raihan’s hands to take the shirt all the way off, Raihan’s own hands coming under Leon’s shirt to remove that, too.

Shirtless, Raihan grins cheekily at Leon before taking off, running up the stairs and towards the bedroom. Leon gives chase with another growl, catching up to Raihan as he enters the bedroom. Leon tackles his larger partner to the bed, back to kissing as their hands roam all over each other’s bodies. Pants are soon removed, followed by boxers, leaving both men completely naked as they make out on Raihan’s bed.

“Leon,” Raihan pants between kisses, currently under the smaller man as Leon had him pinned.

“Hmm? What is it?” Leon asks, leaning away slightly to get a proper look at Raihan.

“Are you going to top?” He questions with a quirk of his brows, and Leon nods.

“As long as you’re ok with it.” Raihan nods back, letting Leon know he really is ok with it. “Good, because I’m going to show you a real champion time tonight,” Leon chuckles, causing Raihan to further blush.

“Get on with it, then,” Raihan goads, going limp as Leon begins sliding down his body. Leon kisses down his neck, moving to his collar bones, sucking and biting as he goes. Raihan moans breathily as Leon sucks particularly hard in one spot at the junction of his neck and shoulder.

Travelling further down, Leon mouths at Raihan’s muscles, licking and sucking as he worships Raihan’s body. Raihan’s hands come to tangle in Leon’s hair, tugging gently as he knows the man likes. Leon moans in response, licking down Raihan’s abs, following the V of muscle that wrapped around his hips.

With Raihan’s hard cock before him, Leon began pumping it eagerly as he sucked marks into Raihan’s hipbones. “You’re such a fucking tease, Leon,” Raihan complains, throwing one arm over his face as he tries to tug Leon’s head to his cock with the other.

“Patience, love~” Leon coos, moving to the other side to suck more marks into Raihan’s hips, avoiding the hard member between them. Raihan groans as a result, but knows he won’t get anywhere if he fights this.

Leon isn’t particularly fond of giving blow jobs, but he’ll always do it for Raihan. Finally moving to give Raihan’s cock attention, Leon licks a stripe up the base of it, causing Raihan’s hips to buck up off the bed. “Fuck, Leon!” Raihan wails, and Leon sinks his mouth over the base of his partner’s cock, sucking gently as he licks at the tip.

Raihan is quickly reduced to a whimpering mess at Leon’s mouth, panting heavily between moans of pleasure. Leon is thankful for this, as it means he doesn’t have to spend longer sucking on this cock than he wants to. Bobbing his head, Leon begins to go at a rhythm, his jaw going slack as he breathes through his nose.

He can’t take all of Raihan’s cock, he was never very good at deep throating, but he tries his best. What he can’t reach, he uses his hand, pumping in time with the bobbing of his head. Raihan is soon tugging on Leon’s hair, warning him. “Fuck, Leon, I’m going to cum if you keep this up.”

Leon pulls off with a pop, drool and precum leaking out the sides of his mouth. He wipes it on the back of his hand before climbing back up Raihan and kissing the man on the lips. While occupied, Leon uses one of his hands to go digging in Raihan’s top drawer, finding the bottle of lube kept there. He pops open the cap, quickly coating his fingers in some of the substance, before moving them down to Raihan’s ass. He circles one finger around the ring of muscle there, feeling it flutter as Raihan moans into the kiss.

Pulling back slightly, Leon whispers against Raihan’s lips. “You ready?”

“Duh,” Raihan retorts, shifting his hips to try to get the message across.

“Alright, calm down,” Leon chuckles, penetrating Raihan with a single finger. The tall man moans at the action, throwing his head back.

“Fuck, yes, finally!” Raihan sounds desperate, so Leon picks up the pace slightly. He presses another finger inside, stretching Raihan further. The man moans wantonly, so Leon begins scissoring his partner to stretch him further. Adding a third finger is soon easy, Raihan quickly becoming loose and pliant under Leon’s practiced fingers.

Getting ready for the best part, Leon slicks up his cock with lube with his free hand. He pulls his fingers out of Raihan’s ass, wiping them on the sheets. He then picks Raihan’s legs up, bringing them up near his shoulders. Raihan obediently grabs them, wrapping his arms around his thighs to hold his legs up for Leon.

Grabbing Raihan by his hips, Leon pulls the man back into his lap, lining himself up with Raihan’s hole. “I hope you’re ready, Rai,” Leon breathes, voice husky with lust.

“I’ve been ready for a while, you know.” Raihan quirks his brows at Leon, a teasing smile on his face.

“I know you can take little prep, but I _like_ properly preparing you.” Leon hates the idea of hurting his partner, especially with what he’s been through – what they’ve both been through. Which is why he takes his time with Raihan as much as he can, opening up the man so he can enjoy it as much as Leon does.

Knowing Raihan’s ready makes this easy, though, so he pushes his cock past the ring of muscle blocking him from the warm, tight ass he craves. Leon lets out a loud moan, pressing deep into Raihan with one thrust. Raihan cries out with pleasure at the action, back arching up off the bed again.

“Fuck, that feels so _good_ , Lee!” Raihan cries, throwing his arm back over his head as he grabs the sheets with the other, trying to ground himself. Leon thrusts into the man passionately at his words, setting a hard pace that has the bed shaking and Raihan sliding in the sheets.

“You’re so fucking tight, love,” Leon pants, picking up the speed as he hammers into Raihan’s ass. Raihan responds with a breathy moan, his arm over his head leaving its position to grab Leon by the ass and tug at him, encouraging him to slam deeper and harder into his partner beneath him.

Leon obliges him, thrusting deeper and harder, growing a bit sloppy with the set pace. He slows down so he can really thrust hard into Raihan, and this has the man crying out, wailing with pleasure. Every time Raihan cries out, it goes straight to Leon’s cock, causing it to twitch inside the man beneath him.

It isn’t long before Leon feels himself getting close. With such a great ass like this to fuck, it’s hard to last as long as he wants to, and he moans against Raihan’s neck as he moves his hands up beside his partner’s head, shifting his weight more into Raihan and really fucking into him. Raihan moans louder at the action, grabbing Leon by the chin and pulling his head up to kiss him.

“I’m coming!” Raihan cries into Leon’s mouth, and Leon grunts. As the man cums all over himself, his ass tightens and flutters around Leon’s cock, milking an early orgasm out of him. Leon cums before he expects to, not prepared for it, moaning loudly as it takes him over. He collapses into Raihan with the weight of it, and Raihan lets out a small “oof” with more of Leon’s weight on him.

They both lay there, panting for a while, catching their breaths as they come down from the high together. Raihan trails his hands up and down Leon’s back as they breathe, Leon moving to support more of his weight on his hands to give Raihan a break.

“Been a while since we both came together, eh?” Raihan prompts after a while of lying in silence.

“Yeah, I can’t remember the last time, really. That was amazing.” Leon means it, it really was amazing. Raihan hums in agreement, and the two men fall back into silence again. Leon eventually rolls off Raihan, laying on his back beside him, and at some point, Raihan fights the blankets out from under them to cover both their tired bodies. They fall asleep together like that, Leon rolling over to be the big spoon as he holds Raihan to his chest.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“Rose is pissed,” Raihan speaks as soon as the line connects.

“I am well fuckin’ aware, Raihan,” Piers sounds rough, his voice is hoarse.

“You got the lurgy?” Raihan is immediately concerned at the sound of Piers’ voice. Is his best friend sick?

“Uh,” is the affirmation Raihan gets. “Everythin’ fuckin’ hurts. And Rose already called about my absence at Openin’ Ceremonies. I’m ta be at Rose Tower tomorrow or else. Rai, he threatened Marnie.” Piers sobs, and Raihan has to take a moment to go back over that.

“What? What do you mean, what did he say?” Raihan is worried, Piers sounds scared.

“He said… He’ll do it ta her too…” Piers speaks softly, the mic on his phone barely catching it.

Raihan gasps, “Fuck. Fuck, Piers, none of us will let that happen, ok? We’ll all keep an eye on her. And she’s got Team Yell here, too.” Raihan runs a hand through his dreadlocks, cold dread seeping up his spine.

“Thanks, mate. Lookin’ forward ta tomorrow,” Piers throws out sarcastically, and Raihan grimaces.

“Did he say…?” Raihan doesn’t want to ask, doesn’t even want to know, but if Piers needs someone to talk to, he long ago promised his oldest friend that he would always be there for him.

Piers laughs bitterly. “He doesn’t have to. I know what he’s implyin’ by threatenin’ Marnie. It’s gonna be a right fuckin’ party for me, mate.” Piers’ sarcasm ends in a fit of coughs, and Raihan sighs deeply.

He already knows there’s nothing he can do. He’s tried. It only got him in the same shit as Piers. That same shit goes so much deeper than he originally thought, and the fear of what can happen to him if he ever speaks up against Rose is enough to keep his mouth shut. It wouldn’t be only him who would be punished, after all.

Raihan swallows thickly. “Want me to come pick you up when it’s over?” He always offers, as awful as it is to see Piers like that, as he wants to help.

“Please.” Piers’ single word is enough of a knife through his heart that it brings tears to his eyes.

“I wish there was more I could do.” Raihan sighs, planting his face into his hand.

“I got myself in this mess, this is my own fault,” Piers croaks back, and Raihan balks.

“No, no it’s fucking not, Piers. You never asked for this.” Raihan hates it when he blames himself.

“I’m the one who stepped up. I’m the one who put a target on my back. Fuck, Spikemuth needed it, needs it still, and I was the one who stepped up to play the bloody game.” Piers sounds bitter, ending in another fit of coughs.

“That doesn’t make it your fault! You’re trying to make the entire fucking League a better place for everyone, especially for those who are forced to move to Spikemuth. You’re doing something important, dammit Piers, it’s not your fault!” Raihan and Piers get into this argument a lot, but Raihan knows he’ll never stop trying to convince Piers of his wrongfully placed guilt.

“But I stepped up. I asked for this by steppin’ up.” There’s some shuffling on Piers’ end while he does something, but Raihan isn’t sure what he’s doing.

“No, you never would have had to step up if Rose wasn’t an arse. This is Rose’s fault, not yours.” Raihan tries, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Hmmm,” is the only thing Raihan gets in response.

“Just… I’ll see you tomorrow night, ok?” Raihan decides dropping the argument is the best for now, it’s not going anywhere else tonight.

“More like mornin’ after, knowin’ Rose…” Piers mutters, and Raihan groans.

“I love you. I’m sorry.” Raihan says into the line, and waits for a reply, but it never comes. “Piers?”

“You too,” is all he says, and he sounds so defeated that Raihan doesn’t push the issue. The line goes dead after that, and Raihan sighs, sinking down into the bench. He’s glad he’s alone, he needs a few moments to go over everything that has just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What the fuck so this was an interlude??? Do I need to add tags? Do I need to change the ratings? What have I done? This went from 0-60 so fast holy shit. I did not mean??? To write porn??? How did that happen??? I have never wrote porn before, I’ve barely wrote romance, I am so sorry for this mess. I do angst, this is all new territory for me. I want everyone to know this is 100% FlorescenceSky’s fault as they requested more Raihan/Leon and I am so so sorry this is what you got. I legit meant this to be like a more romantic thing?? I don't know how or why it went to porn I-
> 
> Also hi welcome to angst town I can’t write anything without making it dark. Is Raihan a player? What’s Piers gotten himself into? Hospital Girl has a kid? This is what I meant about drama in the tags oops enjoy?  
> I really hope people still enjoyed this. This was always the planned direction of the story, but I realize we’ve had 80k words of basically fluff. I did not imagine I would take this long to get here. I’m sorry for those who aren’t on board with this. Please let me know if you’re not ok with this, I don’t want to push any readers away. I can continue to put this stuff in separate content warning chapters or something.


	26. Chapter Twenty-One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Audzilla28 for being my beta reader.
> 
> So I got like all of my grandpa's clothes because I'm literally exactly the same size as him so now I own not one, but two suits. Bless being the shortest in the family I get some nice ass clothes. I think my grandpa is looking down and smiling about it.

You feel much better when you wake up. Your leg still hurts, but the pain meds you take with breakfast make quick work of the pain. It’s hard to walk normally though, but you try to avoid limping as much as you can; you remember what the first doctor had told you about that.

The doctor recommends against doing the Gym today, but does mention that if you’re careful it should be ok. He knows how much you want to do this. You’re not letting your leg stop you today. Hop is beyond thrilled, if not a tad concerned about you, but he can’t wait to finally get a badge.

“We’ve been training so hard, we’re sure to each beat it on our first try!” Hop exclaims while you’re signing up. Despite being here early, your position is still not the first on the list. There are still lots of Challengers making attempts to beat Milo. All these Trainers were pretty easily beaten by you and Hop, so there being so many of them stuck isn’t really the best indicator of how hard it is to beat the Grass-type Gym Leader.

“I sure hope so. I don’t want to be stuck here longer!” You complain as Hop finishes getting you both time slots and starts heading to the change room.

“Me neither. I’m ready to move on with the tale of my legend! There’s still more pages to fill!” Hop is, of course, talking about the notebook he picked up back in Motostoke. He’d gotten you one as well, and the goal had been to keep track of your adventure, or legend as Hop put it. You’d been filling yours out too, more with information about your Pokémon and battling than what you actually did during the day. Hop seems to have that more than covered with his.

After getting ready, you and Hop mill about the lobby until it’s your turn. Hop is going first, so you head up to the stands to watch him. “Good luck.” You wrap him in a hug and whisper in his ear before leaving.

You’re able to get a good seat right in the middle. There’s a few spots reserved for those cheering on the Challenger fighting Milo, so you and your Pokémon are able to make use of it as Hop’s only cheerleaders.

Or so you thought. Sonia’s there already when you get up there, and she smiles at you when you sit next to her. “How did you know we were having matches?” You ask her after saying hello.

“Hop texted me. I wanted to come and cheer for you both, I know you’ve been waiting a long time for this,” she replies with a sad look in her eyes. You offer a small smile and nod.

“I hope it goes well. I’m glad Hop is going first so I can see what to expect.” You look out to the pitch, and Sonia nods at you.

“A solid idea, really. I’m confident you’re both going to win today.” Sonia flashes you a blinding smile when you look back at her, and the two of you continue chatting idly until the announcer comes on to introduce Hop.

“And now, facing our dear Milo, is number 189, Hop!” Her voice blasts out the speakers, drawing yours and Sonia’s attention back to the pitch. There on the opposite side, you see Hop come out of the entrance. He looks determined as he marches confidently across the pitch. You, Sonia, and Raboot all wave to him, and he shoots you all a large grin before looking ahead of him again.

Hop and Milo reach the center of the pitch at the same time. Milo’s voice comes through over the speakers as his mic picks up his voice. “About time one of the Champion-endorsed trainers made it here! I’ve been looking forward to battling with you, Hop. Especially after you set a new record yesterday in the Gym Mission! I’m sure you’re going to impress me today.” Milo’s voice is kind, and he smiles gently as he speaks. You can see his face blown up on the big screens at the ends of the pitch.

“You bet! I’m going to win and get my first badge!” You’re glad Hop stops himself there, as he’s got a mic too. If he had kept going on like he normally does, he likely would have said something embarrassing that would get broadcasted all over the region.

They both turn and walk to the edges of the large Pokéball symbol in the middle of the pitch. You’re taking note of this for when you go to do your battle. Some music begins playing over the speakers, and you have to admit it’s a bit of a banger. Milo and Hop both toss out their first Pokémon.

Milo sends out a Gossifleur, and Hop sends out his Thwackey. You don’t immediately recognize what Pokémon Milo sends out, but Sonia helpfully informs you. You can hear the commands they issue their Pokémon over the speakers, so you’re able to follow along with the battle easily. Hop starts off with Thwackey charging in to hit Gossifleur with that new move he’d just learned, Double Hit. The two hits knock Gossifleur back a bit, but he retaliates with Rapid Spin.

They’re pretty even on exchanging blow for blow. Hop instructs Thwackey to use Work Up to get stronger when Gossifleur uses Sweet Scent to lower his evasiveness. Milo instructs his Pokémon to use Sing, but it fails to cause Thwackey to fall asleep. This leaves Gossifleur open, and Hop has Thwackey run in and try to take him out. Gossifleur hangs in there by just a bit, however.

Thwackey closes in to finish his opponent off, when Gossifleur uses Round. The wide attack is too hard for Thwackey to dodge, especially so close, so the hit knocks him over. He gets back up, but he’s not looking good. Both Pokémon are likely a single hit away from fainting. Luckily, Thwackey gets in close before Gossifleur can retaliate, and knocks him out.

You and Sonia cheer loudly at Hop’s success. He looks over at you two and grins brightly before turning back to the battle. You’ve been mostly paying attention to the battle, but you get a good look at him now with the pause. He looks really good out there. He has a confidence in battle, and this determined set of his brows, that make him look really cool. You realize he looks a lot like his brother when the cameras capture his face and you see it up on the big screens.

Milo has recalled Gossifleur, and turns to face Hop. “You’re as much of a challenge as I thought you’d be! But we’re not done yet!” He tosses out his next Pokémon, another one you don’t know. Sonia explains this one is Eldegoss.

Eldegoss launches into a Razor Leaf attack before Hop can direct Thwackey, and Thwackey goes down when he’s unable to dodge in time. Hop pulls a face before recalling his Pokémon. “We’re just getting warmed up! I’m not about to lose!” Hop shouts as he launches his next Pokéball out.

Rookidee emerges – a good choice. At this, Milo recalls his Eldegoss and taps at his Dynamax band. As the ball begins to grow in size, Hop recalls Rookidee to do the same thing. Milo launches the large ball behind him easily with one hand, despite how heavy it looks. Hop has a bit harder time slinging it over his shoulders, but he manages.

This is the first time you’ve seen a Dynamaxed Pokémon. They’re positively _massive_ and you have to look way up to see the top of Rookidee. Eldegoss is equally massive on the other side of the field. You see Hop and Milo both run to the side of the pitch to get out of the way of the massive attacks their Pokémon are about to unleash. The crowd begins to chant and cheer in a sing-song sort of way, and it makes this whole thing feel even more exciting.

Eldegoss goes first, as he was ready first, and launches a powerful blast Milo calls Max Strike. Rookidee recoils from the attack, but recovers. Hop shouts “Max Airstream!” And Rookidee launches a powerful vortex of air at Eldegoss. The hit seems to really hurt him, as he cries out. Milo has him use that powerful blow from before once more, and Rookidee looks like he’s barely hanging in there now.

One more use of Max Airstream has Eldegoss exploding as the Dynamax effect comes to a forced conclusion. Sonia explains it that way, anyways, you’re not really sure what’s happening. When you express worry over the exploding Pokémon, Sonia offers up the explanations.

“I forgot you haven’t Dynamaxed any of your Pokémon yet, you haven’t learned much about it. Are you planning on Dynamaxing today?” You nod in answer to Sonia’s question, but your attention is on the pitch.

“Gym Leader Milo is out of useable Pokémon, Challenger Hop is the winner!” The announcer from earlier declares after Milo recalls his fainted Eldegoss. You jump up and cheer, despite your better judgement, and your leg instantly protests with a jolt of pain.

Hop looks over to you momentarily, giving you a thumbs up, before recalling Rookidee once he’s shrank back down. He walks back towards the center of the pitch after that, meeting Milo in the middle.

“The power of grass has wilted… What an incredible Gym Challenger! That battle had me on my toes the whole time! Now I see why the Champion endorsed you. I hope to see you keep winning right to the finals, Hop!” Milo’s kind words only serve to split Hop’s face wider with his grin.

“I won’t just win to the finals, I’m winning right up to my brother! Then I’m going to win against him too!” Hop brags, and Milo chuckles lightly.

“Here, as proof you defeated me today.” Milo reaches into his pocket and pulls something out. Hop sticks out his hand, and Milo drops whatever it was into it. “The Grass Badge! Congratulations on obtaining your first Badge.” Hop clutches it tightly to his chest, grin still splitting his face.

They both shake hands, and then turn and walk off the pitch. The announcer tells everyone there’s a 15 minute break before the next match, and you realize you have to get down there, because the next match is _yours_. Sonia wishes you good luck with a pat on the back before you go.

“Oh wait!” Sonia calls out before you’re totally gone. “Go speak to Milo before your match and let him know you’ve never Dynamaxed before!” You nod in understanding before leaving. You’re not sure where to find Milo, but when you tell a League Staff what Sonia said, she’s able to point you in the right direction.

She allows you to take your walker back with you, “just as long as you don’t take it on the pitch!” As she holds opens the door for you. You’re thankful not all League Staff are ableist assholes, and you’re going to remember this going forward and demand this from every Stadium. Well, every Stadium you’ll still need the walker at. You’re hoping it won’t be needed for much longer.

You run into Hop in the hallway. “Hop! Congrats on your victory! I knew you could do it!” You gush, and Hop beams at you.

He wraps you in a tight hug that you quickly return. “Mate! That was incredible! Wow, I can’t wait for the next one! There’s really nothing like battling on the pitch like that!” Hop’s voice is loud ordinarily, but right next to your ear like this it borders on painful. You don’t dare tell him to quiet down though, he deserves this excitement.

“I’m so happy for you! You looked so cool out there!” It’s easy to say more embarrassing things like this when you don’t have to see his face, and you know he can’t see your blush. You can feel it, the blush climbing your cheeks and reaching for the tips of your ears.

“R-really?” Hop stutters, and you nod exaggeratedly enough in the hug that Hop can tell you’re nodding. “Ah, uh, well of course I am! The next Champion has to look cool in his battles!”

You snort at Hop’s usual antics, and he flicks your back in retaliation. It doesn’t hurt, but you say ow anyways. You can feel Hop roll his eyes at you, likely because he’s doing it exaggeratedly enough for you to catch in the hug.

“I have to go find Milo before my battle,” you lament after a moment. You don’t really want to let go, but Hop begins unwinding his arms from you.

“Good luck, mate. If I could do it? You’ll have no trouble with a Fire-type _and_ a Flying-type! And you always beat me. This will be cake for you!” You nod at his confidence. You sure hope it will be, you are really thankful for the great type coverage you have for this Gym.

Hop gives you one more quick squeeze before letting you go completely. “You better be out there cheering for me!” You declare, and Hop nods. He waves before dashing off back the way you came. You start heading down the way he came from, looking for Milo.

Milo is exactly where the League Staff said he would be, in a small prep room. There’s no door or anything, so you call out before walking in, in case you’re disturbing Milo.

“Hmm? Ah, Kieran. Brilliant, I was hoping to speak with you before our match.” Milo turns to face you with a smile. He gestures for you to sit on the bench along the wall, and you’re thankful.

“What did you want to speak to me about?” You ask as you take a seat. He sits down a comfortable distance away from you, and takes a sip from a water bottle.

“It’s about your leg. I don’t want to push you too hard out there and injure you. Now, I’m not going to take it easy on you by any means, but I do want to know what I can do to adjust my strategy to keep you from getting injured. At least, I’d like to reduce the chance of it,” Milo explains, and you’re taken aback. After how he was about the Mission, you’re surprised he’s willing to make concessions for you in battle.

“Uh, well, I’m not really supposed to be running on it, or jumping, or anything really strenuous like that,” you offer, “But… You wouldn’t let me use my walker for the Mission. Why do this now?” Your curiosity gets the better of you and you have to ask.

“I feel bad, I personally would have been fine with it. The rules are rules, though, and I have to enforce them. And I feel awful that resulted in you getting injured. Battle… There’s more ways I can bend the rules. I can’t let you use your walker out there, but I can at least keep you from needing to run around too much.” Milo gazes out across the room as he speaks.

“I do have to use Dynamax, that is a requirement of the Gym Challenge, so you will have to get out of the way for that. I won’t attack until you’re out of the way, but I will call a foul if you take advantage of that,” Milo warns, and you nod.

“Thank you. I appreciate that. Oh, speaking of Dynamax, Sonia told me to tell you that I’ve never Dynamaxed before.” You look over at Milo, and he looks a bit shocked.

“Really? No matter, I can explain the key points. When there’s Dynamax Pokémon on the pitch, you want to stay to the side to stay out of the way of those attacks. Getting hit by one of those could cause serious injury, they’re very strong. Your Dynamax band has enough energy in it to power your Pokémon for three strong moves before it’ll run dry. Your Pokémon returns to normal after that, or if enough time has gone by. I believe it can last for five minutes without using any moves. You’ll have to ask Sonia to be sure.” You nod along to Milo’s explanation.

“Oh, and when you’re tossing your Pokéball after it’s been Dynamaxed, make sure you toss it high enough in the air. If it doesn’t go high enough, the Dynamax effect will just fail. I don’t really know why, you could probably ask Sonia for the specifics of why that happens.” You’ll have to remember to ask her about it later.

“Thank you, Milo. I appreciate all of this,” you express with a smile, and Milo scratches the back of his head.

“As long as you can beat me with your skills as a trainer, that’s what I’m here to test. I can’t promise any other Gym Leaders will be as lenient. In fact, I’d be more inclined to say they may even be harder on you for it. I’ll let them decide how they want to handle that, but I just care about your battle skills.” Milo’s words make you frown, you don’t like the sound of that.

“Good to know…” You murmur. Milo looks at you sympathetically.

“Milo, here are your Pokémon, healed up and ready to go!” A young woman in a Gym Trainer outfit comes in with two Pokéballs in her hands. She hands them to Milo, and he thanks her.

“You should go get ready for our battle now. Not much longer now, and it’s a bit of a walk to the other side of the pitch.” You thank Milo for his kind warning, and you make your way over to your entrance to the pitch.

You’re left with a new impression of the shorter Gym Leader. He seems very kind, you’re grateful for his considerations. You’ll have to mention this to Hop after, it’ll make him happy to hear. You reach your side of the pitch by following the signs along the hallway, and wait just inside the entrance.

A League Staff comes up to you and clips a mic around your ear. He has you speak to test it, and listen to make sure you can hear through the earpiece, and once everything seems good, he leaves. Of course, not without mentioning the walker, and you have to tell him you got permission. He doesn’t push it, but it doesn’t look like he believes you. It doesn’t matter to you, if he checks with anyone he’ll only find out you told him the truth.

Speaking of your walker, you’re going to have to leave it behind for the pitch. You take a test step away from it, grimacing in pain when you have to immediately take your weight off your injured leg. This is going to be a real awkward limp out to the pitch. You grit your teeth; it’s not like you have a choice. You touch the Pokéballs in your pocket. You’re doing this for them, and for Hop.

And for yourself. Haven’t you always wanted to prove what you can do? You wanted this opportunity so much before. People will stare, and make comments, and judge. You take a deep breath. You can handle that. You can handle this. You can do this.

Another step. It hurts just as much as the first. But you can do this. You’re determined. This is not where you are letting your story end. Another step. It’s getting easier now. You’ve got a rhythm.

You hear the announcer call out your name and number, and you begin hobbling out into the light. For a moment, you’re caught off guard. It’s bright, and loud; there’s so much cheering. Your heart pounds in your chest at the excitement, as well as the nervousness.

Across the pitch you can spot Hop and Sonia in the stands, waving wildly at you. You smile, straighten your back, and begin limping out to the center of the pitch with as much confidence as you can muster. If people are going to say anything, you’re not going to let it look like it affects you.

Milo smiles patiently at you while he waits for you at the middle of the pitch. You come to a stop in front of him, and he nods at you. “You made it out here! I’m glad, I’ve heard rumours you haven’t lost a battle yet. I’m excited to fight someone like that!” He winks at you as he speaks. You wonder where he heard that from.

“Uh, that’s right, I haven’t lost yet. And I’m not about to start here, either.” You speak up, remembering you have a mic on. You remind yourself not to say anything embarrassing.

“You know, my Gym’s the first one people face, so we get a lot of Challengers. That’s why I try to keep the Gym Mission challenging, but… That sure didn’t stop you! With one second left, at that! Proper job! I’m impressed at the spirit and determination you and your Pokémon show. I’m sure this will be another doozy of a battle for me!” Milo brings up your Gym Mission too, and you bite your lip as it’s now forever public knowledge that you did so poorly. Hopefully this battle goes better than that.

He nods to you then, and turns around to begin walking to the edge of the circle. You follow suit, getting to the edge of the large ring. The music starts again as Milo pulls out a Pokéball and tosses it into the ring. You grab Rookidee’s ball, and toss him out. Rookidee appears shortly after Gossifleur does, and Milo immediately instructs his Pokémon to attack.

Gossifleur aims a Razor Leaf at Rookidee, who is unable to fully dodge it. Rookidee flies in with a Peck, knocking the Grass-type Pokémon back a ways as he swoops away. “Use Round!” Milo shouts, and Gossifleur uses the wide range attack. It knocks Rookidee out of the air, and he tumbles painfully along the ground briefly.

He shakes it off and gets back up, as he knows a single good hit should take the Gossifleur down. Rookidee slams into Gossifleur, tumbling back with him briefly. Gossifleur tumbles to a stop, struggles briefly, before collapsing into the ground. Rookidee gets up and coos, and then begins glowing white.

“Oh!” Milo gasps as he pulls out Gossifleur’s Pokéball. He returns his fainted Pokémon, and holds off on sending out another until your Pokémon has finished evolving.

Rookidee’s shape changes and grows, until the white light dissipates, and you’re left with a beautiful, glittering, silver bird. He stretches his wings and caws, and tears fill your eyes at how overwhelmed you get with pride and joy. He’s beautiful, and going by the gasps and hoots from the crowd, you’re not the only one who thinks that.

“I’ve never seen a Corvisquire like that! He sure is pretty!” Milo compliments, and your new Corvisquire caws appreciatively. “Are you ready to continue now?” You nod in affirmation, and Milo throws out his last Pokémon, Eldegoss.

Milo taps at his Dynamax band in warning for you, and you nod. He then recalls his Eldegoss, and you turn to Corvisquire. _Are you ready to try to Dynamax?_ You ask him, and he’s immediately for this idea. You recall him, and tap his Pokéball to your Dynamax band. Milo has already thrown his Eldegoss back out, and the crowd screams and begins their same chants and cheers from before.

Corvisquire’s Pokéball is _heavy_ when it’s so big, and the sudden weight of it almost knocks you over. You twist with it, remembering Milo’s words, and use the momentum to fling it as hard as you can up into the air behind you. It breaks open, and out pops a gigantic version of your Corvisquire.

If you thought they were massive from the stands, standing in front of one is a totally different story. Not only that, but you can _feel_ through him, and those massive feelings are _strange_ to say the least. You can see him, massive as he is, but you can also see you, a tiny spec in front of Corvisquire. It’s momentarily disorienting.

As he spreads his wings and caws loudly as he lands, you’re reminded you need to _get the fuck out of the way_ before you get hit with something. You begin to hobble towards the side, seeing Milo already there. As he promised, he waits until you’re all the way out of the way before calling out an attack.

So you do the polite thing and instruct Corvisquire after you’ve heard Milo give his orders. You remember the move Hop used, Max Airstream, and tell Corvisquire to use that one. Eldegoss’ attack hits first, but Corvisquire’s attack seems more devastating. Corvisquire is hurting though, it was still a powerful move, and he’d already been hurt previously in battle.

Milo is instructing Eldegoss again, and you get Corvisquire to use the same move again. You just hope he hits first. Both Pokémon use their moves at the same time, and both moves hit at the same time. Two simultaneous explosions happen, and the feeling of the bond breaking over that _hurts_. You clutch your heart as your legs give out.

“Gym Leader Milo is out of useable Pokémon, Challenger Kieran is the winner!” The announcer’s voice rings hollowly in your ears. You have to get up to recall Corvisquire, but you feel momentarily rooted to the ground. Milo walks over and offers you a hand.

“You made it through the battle, I can offer help now.” Milo offers by way of explanation as you grab his hand with a raised eyebrow. He helps you into range to recall Corvisquire from. His large hand is warm on your back, and you’re thankful to be able to lean into him as you walk.

Once you’ve both recalled your Pokémon, Milo turns to face you. Well, as much as he can while he’s also still supporting you. “That must have been a fulfilling battle for you! You made it through! It sure was something to watch you and your Pokémon battle together. You’re really on the same wavelength!” Milo’s congratulatory words are just as kind to you as he was to Hop.

“Thank you, that was an incredible battle.” You aren’t lying. Hop hadn’t been lying. It is really something else to be fighting on the pitch, with the screaming of the crowd and the buzzing of the cameras as they fly by. It feels like such a spectacle. You just wish you looked the part better. Collapsing like that probably looked bad for you.

“As sign of your victory today, here’s a Grass Badge of your very own. Congrats! This is just the first of many, I hope you’ll manage to get them all!” His words are kind, but you can’t help but notice the difference between what he says for you and what he said for Hop. He doesn’t think you’ll make it.

Given your leg, he might be right.

He shakes your hand, which is a little awkward when he’s still holding you up with his other arm, but you go along with it. He helps you off the pitch as well, and as the two of you head under the overhang of the entrance, you’re able to catch that there’s voices playing over his earpiece. He grimaces as he leads you over to your walker.

“Apparently I’m in trouble for my little stunt,” Milo wraps his hand around the mic and pulls it away from his face as he speaks. “I don’t regret it, you look like you’re in a ton of pain.”

You nod, you are. You can barely hold yourself up on the walker. Sure, you just had to mostly stand there, but the pain meds have worn off, and your leg is still hurting from yesterday. Your heart is still aching hollowly after Corvisquire had fainted too. It had felt so _painful_. You want to get your Pokémon healed up as soon as you can.

Milo walks away after he gets you to your walker, obviously to deal with whatever he was in trouble with. You wonder who has the authority to decide a Gym Leader is in trouble. The Chairman? Wouldn’t surprise you.

You can’t even hold yourself up against the walker. You collapse to the ground with a grunt, and sob silently into your hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Milo is a dirty co-conspirator and is gonna get in some shit for that~ And he’s literally a teddy bear tell me I’m wrong. He’d totally get himself in trouble to help a Gym Challenger. I adore him.
> 
> Idk if Dynamaxed and Dynamaxing are words but they are now. This chapter was literally just two battles I don't get how that ended up being so long.
> 
> I really hate having to use the name, because this is supposed to be a reader insert, but there are some instances where I just cannot use anything else and have it make any sense. Please know it bugs me as much as it bugs you I’m sorry.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Audzilla28 and my newest beta, Ember564, for beta reading this chapter.  
> If you're interested in helping me edit so I can get better at writing, or you just wanna be my friend, hit me up on discord at MightyMage#8983  
> (I should make a Twitter I really should)
> 
> Also I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm now updating on Wednesdays and Saturdays! I hope to try to keep this consistent but it may not always be. I'm only human!

It takes a long time for you to find the strength to move from the floor. By the time you’re starting to pull yourself up, Hop has already come to find you.

“Mate! I was worried when you didn’t come out right away, are you ok?!” Hop is by your side as soon as he sees the state you’re in. You shake your head, and Hop silently helps you up to your feet. You’re barely even using the walker as you walk, Hop is mostly the one supporting you so you don’t have to put weight on your left leg.

“I need to get Corvisquire healed,” you tell Hop as you slowly make your way into the lobby. As soon as you’re through the doors, you let Raboot out of his Pokéball. He grimaces at you and thumps the floor with his foot in agitation for being in the ball for so long.

“And yourself! Look at you!” A high pitched female voice sounds from somewhere beside you, and you turn just in time to see Sonia walk up next to you and Hop.

You try to smile at Sonia, but it comes out as more of a grimace. “When the Dynamax effect ended like that, it really hurt him. I want to get him to the Center as soon as possible.” You try to explain why you’re worried. You know you need medical attention, you can feel that.

“And I’m taking you to the Center, mate, don’t worry,” Hop appeases, and you nod as Hop continues to help you. Sonia walks with the two of you, though she’s mostly on her phone texting. The walk is silent anyways – you don’t really have the energy to talk – and Hop isn’t sure what to say in this situation.

A nurse takes the Pokéball containing your Corvisquire when you get to the Center, and another nurse leads you back to a room. This is becoming pretty routine to you now, but only Hop follows you into the room. Sonia stays out in the lobby, stating that she’d “just be a moment” before joining you.

You haven’t even bothered to change out of your uniform this time, so your bag is still back at the Gym. Hop offers to go get both of your bags – as he hasn’t changed yet either – while the doctor looks you over.

Peeling back your socks reveals bad news; you’re bleeding again. You hadn’t even been moving that much, so a wail escapes you despite your efforts to stop it. The doctor stitches you back up once more with a pinched face. He tests your range of movement with it once it’s bandaged again, and his frown only deepens when movements you used to be able to do now cause you extreme pain.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news. You’ve caused further damage to the nerves, the chances of your leg healing properly have gone down considerably. There’s still a chance, but the only way I see that happening is if you quit the Gym Challenge and focus all your efforts on recovery.” The doctor’s words make you dizzy. Quit the Gym Challenge?

Your mind reels as you go over his words. He’s basically given you two choices, continue the Gym Challenge and fuck your leg up forever, or quit for the year and focus on recovery. You concentrate on breathing deeply so you don’t begin to hyperventilate, but it’s hard. You’re spinning into an absolute panic; this is exactly what you had wanted to avoid.

What will you tell Hop? You’re glad he’s not here, but also not, because now you have to find a way to tell him this news. How is he going to react to this? What will he say? It’s going to crush him, no doubt about it, because it’s crushing you. You take a shuddering breath as you feel yourself struggle under the weight of it.

“Miss, I’m leaving now, but if you need anything, please use the call button there.” The doctor gestures to the button on the rail of your bed. “Your nurse is going to bring you some pain medication, try to get some rest for today,” he finishes, and you nod to him as he leaves. You’re now alone in the room with Raboot.

He climbs up onto the bed and cuddles with you. You have a lot to think about. Your mind goes over and processes your fate until the nurse comes with your pain medication. It requires an IV, so she sets one up in your arm. You can guess by this action that this is something stronger, and that they’re going to be keeping you longer today. It doesn’t take long for the meds to take effect, and by the time Hop has returned, you’re in much less pain and also very woozy.

You have indeed been given something more powerful than before. It could be whatever you’d been given back when you’d first been hospitalized with this injury, as you feel similarly to then. “How are you feeling, mate?” Hop’s voice sounds strained, and he won’t meet your eyes.

“They gave me s’me pain meds,” you slur. Your tongue feels too thick in your mouth, and you find you can’t sit up even if you want to. You try to lift your arms, and they feel incredibly heavy, but you’re able to do it. Hop grabs the hand that doesn’t have an IV in it, and holds it.

“They drug you up again?” He says with a small smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

You nod, sort of, but Hop gets the idea as his smile widens. “’M sorry for worr’in’ you,” it’s hard to speak.

Hop’s face falls at your words. “Don’t apologize for that, mate. I… Did the doctor say anything about your leg?” You grimace at Hop’s words, even though you try not to.

Hop still isn’t meeting your eyes though, and his voice still had that strained sound to it. You dodge his question by asking about that. “Why you actin’ funny?”

“Ah, um, well… Sonia… I ran into her in the lobby. She seemed upset, so I asked her what was wrong. She told me Milo got in trouble for helping you out.” Hop scratched the back of his head as he struggled to get his words together.

“Oh, tha’. Yeah, Mi’o tol’ me af’er our ba’le.” It’s only getting harder to speak, so you decide to give up at that point and let your head fall back and your eyes close. You’re feeling so tired.

“Hey, mate, you doing ok?” Hop leans over you, you can tell because the light behind your eyelids dims. He’s still holding your hand, and his grip tightens.

“Ugh,” is really all you can manage. Hop says something, but it sounds like you’re underwater, so you can’t understand him. You’re pretty sure you’re losing consciousness, and you hope Hop understands you’re ok.

There’s sort of a blur of time – you hear voices you aren’t quite able to fully make out. You recognize Hop’s voice, then Sonia’s some time later, but not what they’re saying. Hop’s hand doesn’t let go of yours, however. Another female voice you don’t know, possibly your nurse, something brushing hair out of your face, something resting on your good leg. Things begin blurring together, and then there’s darkness and silence.

Something stands out to you, though. Something soft brushes against your forehead while it’s so dark and quiet.

Hop is still holding your hand.

You’re sure these things are important, but your drug addled brain can’t really make sense of why. You try to hang onto them for when you can think clearly.

The next thing you know, you’re blinking awake to your dark room. There is a heavy weight across your stomach, and a hand is still holding yours. You look down to see Hop is asleep half on top of you, sitting in a chair next to your bed. His face is turned away from you, so all you can see is his mass of unruly spiky hair. You raise your free hand, slightly sore from the IV, and run it through his hair.

You’re not really sure what tempts you to do the action, but he’s asleep, so he’ll never know, right? His hair is soft, and you find yourself trailing your fingers through it repeatedly, almost absentmindedly. It’s such a soothing action, and you feel it lull you. Eventually, it lulls you back to sleep again.

Hop is still there when you wake up again, but he’s no longer sleeping on you. The lights are back on, and he’s sitting upright in his chair. He’s still holding your hand, though, and you give his a squeeze to let him know you’re awake. He looks up from his phone and grins at you when he meets your eyes.

“How are you feeling today, mate?” Hop asks, his voice soft.

You take a moment to assess. Your leg hurts, not as much as yesterday, but enough that you can tell the pain meds have worn off. You don’t feel as drugged up, either. What the doctor told you yesterday flashes back in your mind, and you resist grimacing at the thought.

“Much better! I’m not in as much pain today.” It’s not a total lie, but a huge omission of the truth. So you’re basically lying to him, and it hurts. You’ve never lied to him about anything so far – you usually avoid it. You’ve got a horrible tell. A massive grin. In this instance, the grin that splits your face completely against your will only aids in selling the lie.

“Glad to hear it, mate! Think you’ll be up for heading out to Hulbury today?” Hop asks, and you nod.

“It’ll depend what the doctor says, though,” you remind him, and he nods.

“Want me to go get us some breakfast? I’m starving! I’m sure our Pokémon are, too.” Hop’s words remind you about Corvisquire. You try to push yourself up to see if you can see him, but Raboot helpfully lets you know that he’s in his Pokéball, and that Hop has tucked it into your bag. You thank him through your bond, before turning to Hop.

“Yes, I’d love breakfast. Could you let Corvisquire out before you go?” You ask, and Hop nods as he reaches into your bag and digs out his ball. He hands it to you, before turning to leave.

He pauses before turning back to you, “I’ll be right back!” He says, and you wave awkwardly as he sort of hesitates to leave. He finally decides to, and you toss Corvisquire’s Pokéball out towards the empty space Hop had once inhabited.

Corvisquire comes out with a yawn and a stretch of his wings. You smile as the bond between you two is re-established, and you’re relieved to feel he’s not in any pain. _What happened in the battle? It felt like you were in a lot of pain when the Dynamax effect ended._ You ask him over the bond.

_I don’t know. It hurt a lot._ You frown at his response, but it doesn’t help you figure out what caused it to be so painful. _I don’t want to do it again._ That surprises you, but you nod. You would never force your Pokémon to do anything they don’t want to, so you won’t Dynamax him again if that’s what he wishes.

The doctor opens the door and comes in then. “I saw your friend leave, he mentioned you were awake. I wanted to talk to you alone, if that’s alright.” He closes the door behind him, and you nod when he finishes talking.

“About my leg?” You ask, and he nods at you.

“I’d like to take a look at it and do some movement tests with you first, if that’s alright.” You let him do what he needs to, and it’s disappointing to learn your movement is just as restricted by pain as it was yesterday.

He sits in the chair Hop was sitting in earlier. “Do you plan to stay here and work towards your recovery, or do you plan to continue the Gym Challenge? I can’t stop you from going, but I advise against it. You will permanently damage your leg if you continue.” You see now why he wanted to talk to you alone.

You bite your lip. “I don’t want to wreck my leg, but the Gym Challenge is really important to me, to my Pokémon, and to my best friend, Hop. I can’t sit it out. I’m going to try, and I’m going to be as careful as I can so that I don’t ruin my leg.” You’ve made up your mind. You are doing this, and you are going to get to the finals.

The doctor nods sadly. “I feared as much. If you wait until next year to do it, your leg will be healed. But if you do it now and ruin your leg, you’ll have ruined your leg forever. You won’t be able to wait until next year for it to be better anymore.” He’s trying to talk you out of it, but you know Hop would drop out the moment you did.

You shake your head. “I’m sorry, sir. I can’t do that.”

“Then at least let me give you some tips so you can reduce the damage you do to it, as much as possible.” He proceeds to give you a list of tips, including how to travel and for how long, which roads you should take to Hulbury and then back to Motostoke, and how to walk to reduce the damage.

Walking properly is not something that is going to happen in your future, now. “If you do this, you will have a permanent limp,” he warns. He gives you a brace to reduce how much you move it as well, which will only further cause the limp.

“It’s fine. Physiotherapy can correct a limp later.” It’s not like you haven’t dealt with this before. You didn’t want to deal with it again, but doing the Gym Challenge is more important to you. Doing the Gym Challenge for Hop is even more important than that. Even if you can’t become the next Champion, you can help him get there.

He shows you what exercises you should be doing for strength and stability. “I wish I could say this was the first Gym Challenger I’ve had who is too stubborn to stop, but the Gym Challenge really seems to draw in a certain type. I know I’m not going to talk you out of this, as much as I wish I could. Please take care, and remember to check in to the Center at Hulbury. They’ll be expecting you.” He disconnects your IV from your arm before wishing you farewell. He leaves just as Hop is coming in.

“What did he have to say?” Hop asks as he sets a tray loaded up with food on the edge of the bed, by your feet.

“That I’m free to go. Showed me what I should be doing while we’re travelling to make sure I don’t hurt myself.” The grin that splits your face against your will is back, and it must look strange, because Hop gives you a strange look.

“That really it?” Oh no, he’s not on to you, is he? You nod, and try reaching for the food to distract him. “Oh, let me hand you that.” It works, he drops it to start doling out food. He lets his Pokémon out as well to feed them, and the two of you finish eating in the room. Hop helps you collect your things, and leaves while you change out of the hospital gown.

It’s hard to walk. Really hard. You can’t hide the pain from your face, you can tell by the way Hop looks at you. He’s got that concerned look that makes him look like a wounded puppy. You hate that you’re the one making him feel this way, you’d rather he be smiling and telling stories.

A nurse gives you more pain medication on your way out, and reminds you to check in at Hulbury’s Center again. Hop promises to get you there, and then he leaves you sitting at a bench while he goes and gets all the supplies the two of you will need for your trip to Hulbury. Hop comes back and packs everything into your bags, double checking you both have everything you’ll need.

It’s while he’s doing this that someone comes up to the two of you, claiming to be a reporter. She has a cameraman behind her and a microphone, so she likely is. You’re not really sure what to do, so you say ok as Hop shrugs to you.

“You’re the Gym Challenger who Milo helped up, correct?” She asks, and you nod. “What was it like to be held in his arms? You have women all over the region dying to be you, how does that make you feel?” She talks so fast, you’re not sure when you’re supposed to answer.

“Uh,” you stall when she tilts the mic to you. “I don’t know, I wasn’t really focused on that, to be honest.” You decide honestly is probably the best here.

“Did you fall on purpose so he’d pick you up? Are you faking the injury for the attention?” Her words fill you with hurt. How could anyone think you’d fake this?

Hop gets angry though, his eyebrows taking a dive down his face as he glares at the woman. “What?! Faking it?! No, she’s not faking it! I think that’s enough questions for now!” Hop gets between you and the woman protectively, and she seems to get the hint.

“Well, thank you for your time!” She says as her and her cameraman walk away. Hop sighs and deflates, then turns to you.

“What a load of crap, reporters are always the worst.” Hop groans. “Lee deals with stuff like this all the time, I don’t know how he remains so calm in front of the cameras every time. Guess I have to work on that if I want to be the next Champion.” Hop rubs the back of his head sheepishly.

“I think you handled that fine. Thank you for defending me.” You reach out and squeeze his hand. He blushes darkly, and looks away.

“Yeah, sure mate, no big,” he mutters, scratching the back of his head now.

The two of you head off after lunch. Hop’s aware of your shorter limits on walking, so you’ve prepared accordingly. It’s going to take you both a few more days than it normally would to travel between Turffield and Hulbury, but Hop promises it’s worth it.

“It’s a real scenic route, mate. There’s this massive bridge that crosses over the Wild Area, and on clear days you can see all the way to Hammerlocke from it. It’s really cool! Hammerlocke looks like this dragon sitting amongst the mountains from such a distance,” Hop gushes, “At least, that’s what Lee told me,” he finishes with a shrug and a grin, and you laugh.

“Sounds amazing, Hop. I’m sure we’ll make a good time of it.” The two of you are going at a slower pace – you’re just hitting the outskirts of Turffield now. Hop is walking beside you, an arm tight around your waist to help you take some weight off your left leg. You appreciate his help – this would be a lot more painful without it.

You’re also not about to complain about getting to spend so much time glued to Hop’s side. Even if it leaves a permanent blush across your face.

Hop is good about letting you take breaks often. You spend a lot of time sitting on the edge of the route, letting your Pokémon play. The slower pace allows Hop to keep all three of his Pokémon out with yours, as he can keep a better eye on them.

They’re getting better behaved, as well. They aren’t as tempted to wander off and get into mischief. They’re taking cues from your Pokémon, in addition to listening to you through your bond with them. Your bond may not be as strong with them as it is with your own Pokémon, but it’s still pretty solid. Certainly good enough to help Hop keep control of his playful Pokémon.

The two of you set up camp early, as you’re really not able to go very far. Your leg hurts like hell. Hop carries you on his back for a bit, but even he gets tired eventually. You two set up camp when he has to set you down. He refuses to let you help, and refuses to set up your tent, as well.

“We can just both stay in mine, it’ll be way easier.” You don’t complain at his suggestion, you’re quite happy to stay in the same tent as him.

You work on cooking with Raboot and Thwackey while Hop sets up the tent. You can’t take your pain meds on an empty stomach, and you really need to take more, so you’re eager to get food going.

“I’m envious you can get them to help you like that,” Hop says as he takes a seat next to you when he’s done. “I wish I could just… Understand them like you can.” His voice doesn’t quite sound bitter or jealous, it’s close, but you’re not really sure how to classify his tone.

You give him a soft smile, “Well, if there’s anything you ever wanted to know from them, I can tell you,” you offer, but you know that’s not what he’s talking about.

He gives you a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Thanks, mate.” Things fall into an awkward silence after that as the two of you and your Pokémon eat dinner.

“Hey Hop.” You can’t stand the awkward silence any longer. “Tell me about some music you like. I haven’t really heard any music from here in Galar yet.” It’s the first thing that pops into your mind, music. Mostly because you miss it, you used to listen to music all the time. You miss your music.

“Eh, I don’t really listen to a lot of music. Can’t really say I know much.” Hop shrugs, and you can only smile awkwardly. So much for your attempt at conversation. “I really liked that song you sang to me the other day. The one about being together forever.” Your smile turns genuine at Hop’s words; this is something you can talk about.

“It’s literally called Together Forever, Hoppy. And I taught you that one.” He grins sheepishly. He’s talking about a song that, unfortunately, refuses to leave your head even years later. It’s from the Pokémon anime, and Hop had really liked it. You’re fond of it in the way only nostalgia makes you fond of things. It’s not a particularly good song, but it reminds you of home now.

“Can you sing it again?” He asks, though he looks down at the ground as he does. You can see the way his ears turn red in the light of the dying sun.

“Sure,” you reply, and begin singing. Hop sings with you, and his hand finds yours partway through the song.

When it’s over, he turns to you. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, mate. I hope we can stay together forever, just like in that song.”

The sentiment of it brings a massive grin to your face while simultaneously breaking your heart. “You’re my best friend too, Hop. I’d like to stay together forever too.” You squeeze his hand, but can’t quite meet his eyes. You mean what you say, you see him as your best friend now. You’ve spent so much time with him.

But you have a massive crush on him. And if he only sees you as a friend, it means you’re doomed to live with your crush unrequited.

“We’re going to finish the Gym Challenge together, and no matter who wins in the finals, we’re going to be best friends forever. Promise?” Hop sticks out his pinky finger towards you, and you’re glad they do pinky swears here too. You link your pinky with his.

“Promise.” It brings relief to you, you’re glad to know that even if you win and crush his dream, he still wants to be your friend. You pull him into a hug, and he laughs.

It’s comfortable, sitting with him like this, arms wrapped around each other. Your pain meds are kicking in; you feel drowsy as the sun sets. Silence settles in, but it isn’t awkward this time. The two of you sit there, in front of the fire, your Pokémon out playing with each other. Your head begins to feel heavy, so you let it fall onto Hop’s shoulder. Hop’s hand comes up and begins stroking through your hair.

It lulls you right to sleep, and the only reason you know this is because when Hop picks you up to transfer you to the tent, it wakes you up. He clearly doesn’t mean to, he’s being careful and gentle, but his arm touches your injured leg in a way that hurts enough to wake you. You keep your eyes closed, though, letting Hop tuck you in.

He hesitates above you for a moment, hand brushing your hair behind your ear. He absentmindedly continues to do the gesture even once your hair is behind your ear. He suddenly stops, and you can tell he leans in close, you feel his breath on your face. After a few moments, he carefully leans closer, and you feel his lips press gently against your forehead.

He pulls away quickly, and you’re careful to control your breathing and continue to pretend to be asleep. It’s hard – your heart is now racing a mile a minute. What does this mean? Does he possibly have feelings for you? Why did he do that? You have so many questions, but you’re afraid that if you give away that you are awake, it would cause Hop to panic.

Hop gets ready for bed after that, letting Raboot in when he’s ready for sleep. Raboot comes and curls up near you, and Hop lays down on your other side. He set your bedrolls up side-by-side again, and he throws an arm over you as he gets comfortable.

As tired as you are, sleep is harder to find now. Hop seems to fall asleep quickly, as he’s soon snoring softly beside you. You have to take deep breaths and focus on sleep, and not on Hop, because he’s filling your mind and making it incredibly difficult to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY cringe story for the cringe song. So like I never delete music from my phone cuz it’s a hassle, I’ve got some 3000 songs on there now or something, idk. Sometimes, when I feel like living dangerously, I hit “shuffle all” for funsies. I don’t even remember any other circumstances regarding this, but Together Forever came on one day when I did this. It’s from the first season of the Pokémon anime, and idk I guess it made me think of Hop? It gave me the idea for this scene, idk it’s cute I think.
> 
> I tagged self-indulgent fight me I wanna be Hop’s best friend.
> 
> Do yourself a solid, don't look it up. It's true cringe. Not like the good kind either. That entire CD is a chapter of my life I'm actively revisiting by writing Pokémon fanfiction and I don't know how I feel about this fact.
> 
> I'm starting to share this with my IRL friends and this is a dangerous game. I really hope none of them actually read this and are only pretending to be interested. They don't need to know the level of trash goblin I've reached.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late, my Saturday ended up being really busy.  
> Thank you Audzilla28 and Ember564 for beta reading for me.  
> I recently rediscovered roleplaying thanks to this fic, I can't believe I am an adult and this is how I am spending my life. Teenage me would be so proud.

Sleep does eventually find you, as you wake up to the feeling of Hop shifting around beside you. Sunlight is streaming in through the open tent door, and you can tell through your bond with your Pokémon that Raboot has gone outside to do his morning business. You stretch as you wake, Hop grinning at you as he rouses.

“Morning, mate. How you feeling today?” You want to tell him how tired you are – you didn’t sleep much last night. But you don’t want him to think that he caused it.

“I’m still tired, I woke up in the night at some point.” You decide that partially telling the truth is best, and when you meet his eyes you’re reminded of him kissing your forehead last night. The more you think about it, you remember something similar happening in the hospital too. How long has Hop been doing that? You don’t want him to stop, exactly, but you’d like to know why.

“I’ll get breakfast going if you’d like to rest more,” Hop offers, and you rub his arm under the sleeping bag.

“Thank you, Hop.” He moves to get up, and you roll over. You close your eyes and listen as he bumbles around the tent for a bit, getting ready for the day. You don’t really get more rest, but at least you’re slightly more awake when Hop comes to get you for breakfast.

Hop packs everything up with the help of your Pokémon. You sit and watch, as Hop’s being pretty strict about you taking it easy as much as possible. At least your Pokémon can help out in your stead. You feel a little bad, but Hop doesn’t mind. He quite enjoys taking care of you.

You travel similarly to yesterday – lots of breaks to sit when the pain becomes too much, with Hop occasionally carrying you on his back when he has the energy to. You can’t walk for very long, so you aren’t able to make that much distance during the day. Hop tells you repeatedly that he doesn’t mind the slow pace; that it’s nice to be able to walk with all his Pokémon out.

You pass by a Pokémon nursery when the two of you are beginning to think about calling it a day. Hop points it out to you and stops to explain, “I don’t know very much about Pokémon breeding, it’s pretty complicated from what I do understand. Do you want to go inside and check it out?”

“Sure, it sounds interesting.” Hop leads you through the doors. Inside a kind old woman explains a bit more about it to you. She takes you and Hop back to see a few baby Pokémon, and you coo at how cute they are.

There’s a Toxel that’s ready to leave, however. “Oh she’s such a little handful, this one. So curious! It’s impossible to keep her in her enclosure. She’s ready to go home with someone though, I just need to find the right person for her.”

The old woman lets you and Hop hold Toxel. The Pokémon doesn’t really want to stay in your arms, but she climbs all over Hop. She butts her head up against Hop’s cheek, and he jolts as she shocks him slightly, then breaks into a laugh. “She’s so cute!” He scratches under her chin and she trills happily.

You can vaguely bond with her, so you’re able to feel that she’s already become quite attached to Hop. “Oh ho, seems she quite likes you, young man,” the woman says with a twinkle in her eyes. “Would you like to keep her?”

Hop lights up at this and nods enthusiastically. “Yes! She’ll fit right in with my team – won’t you?” She makes a sound of affirmation, and Hop scratches her head. “I’ll introduce you to them!” Hop heads back to the lobby where you’d left all your Pokémon. You and the old woman follow behind him as he talks to her, telling her all about the legends they’re going to become.

You can’t help but smile, Hop is always going on about his dream. You know you’ll do anything you can to help him realize it. Hop’s new Toxel gets along well with his other Pokémon, and they all play together.

“Are there any good places to camp out around here? We were looking to set up camp soon,” Hop asks the old woman, and she shakes her head.

“Nonsense, there are beds here. You kids can stay here tonight, if you’d like.” You both thank her for her kindness, and she shows you the room with the beds. It looks like a room at a children’s camp, with 4 sets of bunk beds. You wonder what the purpose of it is, but the woman leaves after she explains where everything is, so you don’t get a chance to ask her.

You and Hop both claim bunk beds, and get your stuff set out for the night. You and Hop help the old woman make some dinner for all of you, and help her feed all the Pokémon living here. You’re finally able to ask her what the beds are for while helping out.

“Oh, for people like the two of you. Trainers, volunteers, any staff that have to stay. When summer rolls around, we’ll be busier and have staff staying here again. Right now, breeding season has only started for a few Pokémon, so I can mostly manage on my own. My staff just come in for the day right now. I get a lot of help from Gym Challengers like you too.” She explains while you hand Raboot the bag of food as he jumps up into an enclosure to fill the food trays.

She has other Pokémon helpers as well, so it isn’t only you and Hop helping. It’s mostly Hop and your Pokémon, though – you can’t stand long enough to be of any real assistance to anyone. You mostly hand people things while you sit.

Eventually, all the chores are done, and the old woman wishes you a good night as she heads to bed. “It’s pretty cool that you can get room and board from so many places here, and often for free. Stuff like that doesn’t happen where I’m from.” You explain to Hop as the two of you get ready for bed.

“Oh yeah? How do people get by when they’re travelling?” Hop asks.

“Money. You save up a whole lot of money before you can do any travelling. You buy hotel rooms everywhere. And camping out on the road like what we’ve been doing? You’d be thrown in jail for that. It’s really different here,” you clarify, and Hop looks at you funny.

“You know, from all the things I’ve heard you say about your home world, it sounds like hell.” You let out a bitter laugh at Hop’s words.

“It is. That’s accurate. I don’t miss it. I miss my friends, my family, my cat…but not the world itself. If I’m stuck here forever, it’s really not that bad.” You look over at Hop as you sit on your bunk. He meets your eyes, sadness passing across his face for a moment, before nodding.

“I can’t say I understand. I’d want to get back home no matter what if I wound up in a different world.” He packs his clothes from the day into his bag as he speaks.

“I don’t blame you, I’d want to get back here too,” you reply quietly. If Hop hears you, he doesn’t continue the conversation. He comes and sits with you when he’s done getting ready for bed.

“You just showed up here one day. What if you just…disappear one day too?” Hop asks sadly, looking down at the floor.

“I don’t know, Hop. I hope that doesn’t happen. We’re supposed to be together forever, right?” You look at him, but he won’t look up to meet your eyes. He does nod, though.

“Maybe I’d have to go to your world and find you,” Hop finally looks up with a small smile, and you smile back.

“Hmm, you’d have a tough time of that. I’ve told you about how I had a different body in my world, right?” Hop nods at your words, so you continue. “I haven’t told you much more than that, though, have I?”

“No, you mentioned you looked different, and that you were poorly, but that’s it.” Hop confirms, and you nod.

“Well, I look nothing like this. I’m not even really a girl.” Hop’s jaw nearly hits the floor.

“What?! What do you mean?!” His voice raises several octaves, and he looks thoroughly bewildered. His arms fly up and his eyes widen.

“I mean, I’m a guy. Like you are. In the world without Pokémon, I am a man,” you clarify, but Hop doesn’t look any less confused.

“Then why do you look like this?!” Hop asks incredulously, gesturing wildly to you, and you shrug.

“If I knew, I’d tell you. You don’t think I was surprised to wake up with boobs?” You raise your eyebrows at Hop, and he looks like he doesn’t quite believe you.

“That seems… I just can’t picture it, at all. What do you look like, then?” You launch into a basic description of yourself, and Hop nods, though he still doesn’t look like he believes you.

“How can I make you believe me?” You ask with a smile and shake of your head, and he laughs.

“I do believe you, mate. It just sounds…ridiculous, you know? I can’t believe you’re really a guy… Are you uncomfortable in that body at all?” Hop scratches his head and looks to you.

“At first, yeah. I’m used to it now, though. I wouldn’t want to try to change my gender, that’s far too much of a hassle. I’m used to being a girl now. I don’t mind it. This world isn’t nearly as sexist as mine is,” you explain, and Hop sighs.

“Your world sucks,” is all Hop says to that. He gets up and goes back to his bed, wishing you good night. Things feel a little awkward, and you wonder if maybe you shouldn’t have told Hop about that. Sleep finds you quickly tonight, you’re incredibly tired after a long and busy day, as well as having little sleep last night. Raboot’s warm body in your arms helps you drift off into a peaceful sleep.

The old woman makes you and Hop breakfast in the morning, and wishes you well when you leave to head to Hulbury once more. You’re both feeling well rested and ready to make some distance. “We should reach Tower Bridge, though I doubt we’ll have the time to cross it today. We might, guess it’ll depend when we get there,” Hop concludes, and you nod.

“Will we camp out near it if we don’t have the time to cross it?” It sounds like it’s a really long bridge, and you guess it must have to be to cross the Wild Area.

Hop nods. “Yep, there’s plenty of space around it where we can set up a tent. You can’t set up a tent on the bridge, obviously.” Hop is correct, you two do reach the bridge today. The sun hasn’t hit its peak yet, so Hop suggests trying to cross it.

Hop wasn’t kidding, it’s massive. It’s about as wide as a freeway, and it’s so high above the Wild Area below. You can barely make out the landscape below, and the Pokémon you see look like ants from this distance. There are some flying Pokémon closer in the air around the bridge that you can make out. The tall railing that comes up to your shoulders blocks you from tumbling over, and you’re thankful for it. It makes you feel safer.

Raboot clings to your leg, he hates the height. He doesn’t want to go back in his ball to avoid it, though, he hates that more. Corvisquire thinks it’s cool, and he flies around, diving under and swooping over the bridge as he does tricks.

“What a show off,” Hop comments, though his words are light. He’s got a smile on his face as he watches. His own Rookidee tries to match the tricks, but isn’t as capable as the larger bird is with her smaller wings.

Hop is carrying Toxel, as she got tired after training while you and Hop were walking. Hop’s managed to teach her a few moves, but she’s got no battle experience yet. Raboot, always willing to help out, offered to be the training dummy for Toxel. He likes the extra practice, it helps him understand different Pokémon and how they fight better. He’s got a strategic brain, and he’s always looking for ways he can make small improvements to his battle tactics.

“Hey mate, let’s have a battle!” Hop demands, turning to face you. You and Raboot are both immediately against this.

“Absolutely not! Not on a bridge! Are you insane?!” You shout incredulously. “What if one of our Pokémon gets knocked off the bridge, then what? Don’t be a fool, Hop. We can have a battle once we’re on the other side.” You don’t like being so harsh with him, and Hop throws up one of his hands defensively.

“Whoa, whoa, ok, bad idea, my bad.” Hop placates, and you shake your head.

“Really, what were you thinking? Look at the gaps between the bars of the railing. Wooloo could roll right through those if he missed.” You look at him with a slight glare. You’re more disappointed in him than anything, and Hop’s face falls.

“I really wasn’t, I hadn’t even thought of that. You’re right, it’s a bad idea. We’ll have a battle later.” Hop looks down, and he looks crestfallen. Silence falls over you two as you let Hop think about the implications of his suggestion. You do try to start conversation up a few more times, but Hop barely responds.

“I’m not mad at you, you know. I’m just disappointed.” You state, and Hop looks up at you quickly.

“You’re not?” You shake your head, and Hop looks more relieved. “I’m sorry, mate.” Hop sighs and looks up at the cloudy sky. “Guess I left my head up in the clouds again.”

“That’s what I’m here for, isn’t it?” You tease lightly, and this brings a small smile back to Hop’s face.

“Yeah. Thanks mate, you’re always looking out for me.” Hop offers, and you snort.

“Me? You’re the one always helping me out, I should be thanking you!” You retort, and Hop laughs.

“We’d be in right shambles without each other.” Hop gives you one of his larger grins, and you can’t help but grin back.

“We really would,” you agree, “I need a break, can we sit for a bit?” Hop nods, and the two of you lean against the railing as you sit to the side of the bridge.

Hop asks you more about your world, and you pass the time by sharing some of the stranger things from your world to give Hop a laugh. “I can’t believe you guys use cars so much. Your world is so strange.” Hop blurts out as he helps you to your feet.

“Well, we don’t have Pokémon to ride around on like you guys!” You shoot back, and Hop laughs.

“I thought you said you guys had animals? Can’t you use them?” Hop’s question is honest, but his voice is teasing.

“Our animals aren’t nearly as smart as Pokémon! It’s really hard to train animals like that. Also we used to, but then cars just became easier. We used horses, they’re kinda like Ponyta or Rapidash.” You try to explain, and Hop just shrugs.

“Why not walk? Or bike? You said you knew how to ride one,” Hop asks, and you nod.

“We do, but a lot of my world is so spread out that most people just use cars.” Hop still looks confused, so you give up. “Nevermind, it’s dumb, you’re right. My world is very strange.”

Hop frowns, “I didn’t mean to discourage you from explaining, I just don’t really get it.” You try explaining other things to him, but his opinion remains the same. Your world is strange to him.

There comes a point where the two of you can see Hammerlocke off in the distance. Hop wasn’t kidding, the city really looks like a dragon crouched in the mountains off on the horizon. “Wow, that’s incredible! That’s really a city?” You ask Hop, leaning against the railing to get a better view, as well as some rest. Hop has a tight grip on your jacket, clearly worried about you going over.

“The second biggest in Galar! Also the oldest. Lots of museums and history and culture stuff there. It all bores me, but the city looks really cool. The whole place is made out of that dark brick, it feels like the entire city is a castle.” Hop explains, and you nod along.

“Are there any castles in Galar?” You ask, and Hop nods.

“There’s the Wyndon Castle, there’s an actual castle in Hammerlocke, called Dragon Castle. Oh, and there’s ruins of a castle in the Wild Area, and there’s a small castle in Circhester too, I think. Those are the only ones I know about, though.” Hop gestures with his hands while talking.

“Oh wow! Cool! I’ve never seen a castle before,” you venture, and Hop looks at you with wide eyes.

“Really? Do they not have castles where you’re from or something?” Hop looks like he can’t believe that.

“There’s castles, just not where I’m from in particular. I never saved up enough to do any travelling, so I’ve never gone to see any castles or anything cool.” You look out at the Wild Area as you speak, and sigh.

“Lee’s taken me inside Wyndon Castle before. If you’re even in Wyndon, you’ll have to ask him to take you. As Champion, he’s allowed to go in. Or if you wait, I can take you when I become Champion.” Hop says it so confidently, you almost laugh.

“Oh wow, cocky much? What if I become Champion and just take myself?” You tease him with a poke to his side, and he yelps but laughs regardless.

“Don’t get lost if you go by yourself,” Hop teases back, and flicks your nose when you give him a face.

After some more banter, you’re rested up enough to continue. The sun is beginning to set now, and you’re only half way across. Hop carries you on his back to make more distance, as neither of you want to be on the bridge when the sun goes down.

The sun is hitting the tops of the trees when you’re finally across. Hop is dead exhausted from carrying you so much, and it’s mostly your Pokémon who set up the tent as Hop lays sprawled in the grass. With your direction, the group of six Pokémon are able to set up Hop’s tent for the two of you while you work on dinner for everyone.

Hop only gets up when dinner is ready, and leans against you as he eats. “What, you’re so tired you can’t even sit up?” You throw an arm around him and rub his shoulder comfortingly. Your words are teasing, but you want him to know you’re fine with this.

“You’re not that light, you know. Not after a while, anyways. I’m tired!” Hop wails, his head thumping down onto your shoulder.

“Thank you,” you lean your head against his, and you can feel him smile against your shoulder. The two of you lay under the stars for a while once dinner is over. “The sky is so pretty here,” you murmur, and Hop agrees.

“Not as pretty where you come from?” Hop prompts, and you shake your head.

“No, not that. They are, but I’m from the city. You can’t really see the stars with all the lights from the city. I’d spend summer nights out on the farm under the stars like this, though.” Hop nods at your explanation.

“Different stars, or the same ones?” Hop’s question confuses you.

“I’m not sure, do you know any of the constellations here?” You ask Hop, and he shakes his head.

“No, but we could probably find them online.” He takes out his phone and begins searching.

You’re not surprised to find the answer to Hop’s question is a no. This world has entirely different constellations, of course. You don’t know enough about the stars where you’re from to recognize if any of the patterns are the same in the sky, so all you can really do is go by the constellations.

You and Hop try to find constellations in the sky until you’re both falling asleep. You head into the tent then, sleep finding you quickly as you curl up with Hop and Raboot. Hop’s new Toxel also stays in the tent to sleep, but she keeps a distance away from the group of you.

Hop wakes up before you; you only realize this because you wake up alone. Outside, Hop has made breakfast and is feeding all six Pokémon. You join him, and he smiles at you.

“I let you sleep in. I slept in too, it’s later in the day already,” Hop gestures up to the sky, and you can see the sun has already almost reached its peak.

“Wow, I must have needed it,” you muse, and Hop nods.

“You’ve been doing a lot of walking. I know you’re pushing yourself so we can make it to Hulbury, but I don’t think we’ll reach it today. That’s ok, it was going to be a push to reach Hulbury today anyways. We can take it easier now.” Hop has already planned out your trip for the day, and he hands you a bowl of porridge.

“That sounds great, actually. My leg is really hurting today.” Hop frowns at your words, before he begins dismantling the tent while you eat.

“Still up for a battle, then?” He asks hesitantly, and you giggle.

“I can battle from down here on my ass, so yes.” You tell him with a grin, and he sputters.

“Did that really call for a swear…?” He mutters, and you let out a loud laugh.

“Really, Hop. The fact that you don’t drop swears worries me. It’s normal!” You insist, and he shakes his head at you.

“I think that’s just a thing from where you come from.” He argues, and you laugh.

“I’ve heard Lee drop some f-bombs, it’s totally not.” You fight back, and Hop rolls his eyes at you.

“Lee is a bad example, he’s a horrible potty mouth! He’s always so thankful to drop his Champion act that he swears so much!” Hop looks absolutely scandalized, and you laugh.

You can absolutely picture this, you’d seen how Leon shifted when in public versus private. “How come you never swear, then?” You look over to Hop as he struggles with the tent.

“Because it’s rude. You’re only supposed to swear when you can’t think of anything else to say. The situation has to call for it.” Hop expresses, and you want to roll your eyes,

“Ok, mom,” you tease, and Hop glares at you.

“Hey!” He shouts, and leans over to pick up a stick and toss it at you. It hits you right in the head – Hop has amazing aim after all – but it doesn’t really hurt. It’s pretty small, after all.

You still pretend it does to panic Hop, only to burst out laughing when he rushes over all concerned. He swats at you playfully, then goes back to dismantling the tent. As soon as Hop’s put everything away, he’s got a Pokéball in his hands and a fire burning in his golden eyes.

“You ready to lose your first match?” Hop grins at you, and you nod, calling Raboot and Corvisquire back over to you.

“You’d have to actually beat me first, and we’re gonna kick your ass,” you grin from your seat on the ground, recalling your two Pokémon into their balls. Hop recalls all of his, and dashes a good distance off so you have enough room to battle.

“Ready?” Hop calls, before expertly tossing the ball containing Wooloo into the middle of the space he’d created. You toss Raboot’s ball out next. If Raboot faints, you can just rest him beside you. You don’t have to recall him in an unofficial match like this.

Wooloo rolls into action as soon as he’s on the field. Hop shouts out some orders for Wooloo, and he rolls towards Raboot. Raboot is faster, however, and hits Wooloo with a Flame Charge before Wooloo lands his Tackle. “Growl then Defence Curl!” Hop orders, and Wooloo growls endearingly at Raboot.

The move causes Raboot’s Attack to be reduced by making him want to take it easier on the Pokémon, followed by Wooloo’s Defence to be raised by his next move. _Go for Double Kick_ you tell Raboot, and he charges in. “Protect!” Hop shouts, but Raboot is faster. He kicks Wooloo back a ways, but Wooloo recovers. “Thunder Wave, then!” Hop changes strategy, and Wooloo obliges him.

This leaves Raboot paralyzed, and he twinges as the Electric effect slows him down. You send him in for a Double Kick again, but Wooloo’s tackle hits first. Raboot is knocked over, but he recovers in time to land his kicks on Wooloo. This knocks Wooloo out of his protective ball, and he lands in a mass of limbs. While he struggles to right himself – Wooloo doesn’t have much Stamina left – Raboot runs over and a single kick is all it takes to finish him off.

“Good try, Wooloo,” Hop grimaces while he recalls his Pokémon. “We’re only just getting started, and I still have three Pokémon! Raboot isn’t looking too good, you can finish him off, Rookidee!” Hop tosses out his next Pokémon, and Rookidee trills as she appears. She takes off, and Hop calls to her, “Use Swift!”

You grimace, now. You know there’s no dodging Swift, and Hop was right. As the star-shaped projectiles hit Raboot, despite his best dodging efforts, he’s taken down. You wince as your bond with Raboot dies as he faints, and you’re about to call a timeout to go grab him when Rookidee lands and begins to glow white.

“Oh! Hop, look!” You really don’t need to shout it, Hop’s eyes are already on her, but you were about to say something else, so this just comes out instead. Rookidee’s shape changes, and when the evolution is over, the light dissipates, revealing a Corvisquire in her place. Hop beams, and runs over to throw his arms in a hug around his newly evolved partner.

It’s cool to see what a normal looking Corvisquire looks like, with the blue instead of silver. “Hop, can you bring Raboot over here? Then we can continue.” You ask him, as he’s now in the middle of the field and close to your Pokémon. Hop nods, and gently picks up your fainted partner and rests him beside you.

Hop doesn’t bother running back to the other side of the battle area. When you raise your eyebrow at him, he raises one back at you. “Well? You gonna bring your Corvisquire out now?”

“Aren’t you going back over there?” You gesture out to the opposite side of the battle area.

“I can command from here,” Hop says with a shrug. “Now come on, let’s go! I’m about to win!” He’s got a wild grin on his face, and that fire still burns in his eyes.

You nod, and toss out your last Pokémon. Corvisquire is quickly caught up on things through your bond, and outrage fills him to see his unconscious friend. Hop’s Corvisquire may be your Corvisquire’s friend, but Raboot is his best friend, so he doesn’t hesitate to use Retaliate against the opposing Corvisquire.

The hit is devastating, it knocks Hop’s Corvisquire right out of the air. She recovers, but barely. Hop even flinches at the hit, and your Corvisquire screeches in triumph. “Use Fury Attack!” Hop shouts, and she flies up to land the hit against your Corvisquire. She chases him down and manages to land three hits against him, before he turns around to use Revenge.

It’s more than enough to take her down, the hit knocks her to the ground again. This time, she doesn’t get back up. Hop jumps and throws his arms in the air. “So we have some training to do, you did your best, Cora!” Hop calls, recalling his Pokémon.

“Cora?” You look up at him questioningly. This is the first time you’ve heard him call his Pokémon something that wasn’t the species name.

“Well, it’s kinda confusing that we both have the same Pokémon. I thought a name would help to differentiate!” Hop smiles at you as he switches Pokéballs and gets ready to toss out his next one.

“Oh, it’s cute, I like it,” you respond while you watch Hop throw his next Pokémon out. He spends a lot of time practicing this, and you can really tell. He looks good, a lot like his brother, but not in a bad way. You’d tell him, but just the thought of saying that out loud brings a blush to your face.

Hop flashes you a grin before turning to his Toxel that he just sent into battle. “Ok Toxel, try Nuzzle!” You know the move is an Electric one, so you don’t want your Flying-type Pokémon to be hit by that. As Toxel leaps into the air to grab Corvisquire, he quickly tucks his wings in and rolls to dodge. Hop throws his fist in a small gesture of frustration. “Try again!” He calls out.

She leaps again, but Corvisquire is ready for her. As she leaps, he charges right into her, nailing her with his beak. The Peck knocks her back down to the ground, the hit landing hard. She doesn’t get back up. “One hit?!” Hop cries, digging for Toxel’s Pokéball. “I didn’t think it’d be over that fast…” He grumbles while recalling her.

“No matter, Thwackey can finish this!” Hop tosses his last Pokémon out. “Double Hit!” Thwackey jumps impressively high, and is able to land the hit on Corvisquire. He squawks in pain before launching into an attack. He nails Thwackey with one of his wings, causing the Grass-type Pokémon to tumble over. Thwackey is able to quickly flip back onto his feet.

_Use that move again. Let’s call it Wing Attack._ You instruct, and Corvisquire charges in. “Protect!” Hop yells, and Thwackey is able to throw up the translucent shield just before Corvisquire charges into it. He shakes himself off and recovers, but Thwackey acts first. “Double Hit again!”

Corvisquire is hurting. He shakes off the hits, but barely. He won’t last another. You’re hoping one more Wing Attack will finish Thwackey off. Corvisquire smashes his wing into Thwackey, sending him recoiling backwards. After landing on his back, Thwackey briefly struggles to his feet, before his legs give out and he faints.

You sigh in relief and Corvisquire cheers, and beside you Hop sighs in frustration. He tosses his clenched fist in an agitated gesture. “We were so close, too…” He sounds almost mad, and he momentarily looks angry before he shakes the look from his face. “A bit more training with Toxel, and next time we’ll totally win!” Hop boasts, running out to Thwackey to spray him with a potion.

Now that the battle is done, you dig a potion out for Raboot. You spray Corvisquire as well when he comes over, and you thank both your Pokémon for their battle. “You really almost had us, though!” You feel a bit bad, it’s apparent to you now that Raboot is not as strong as Corvisquire is. You know why, you’re trying not to use Raboot in battle in case he faints. You’re favouring Corvisquire because you don’t want to make Raboot panic.

You coming to this realization means Raboot and Corvisquire also come to it, and there’s a moment where an awkward tension hangs over the three of you. _Please use me first. I want to battle. Just recall me before I faint._ Raboot’s burning passion for battle comes across to you, and you nod.

_I’m sorry I stopped using you._ You scratch under his chin, and he forgives you. You promise to use him first in your upcoming battles.

“You ok, mate?” Hop’s voice sounds beside you, and you startle. You hadn’t realized he’d come up next to you.

“Yeah, sorry, everything’s fine.” You place a hand over your heart to calm yourself and take a deep breath.

“Well, you weren’t answering me! I asked if you’re ready to go!” Hop sounds as impatient as ever, and you laugh.

“Yes, we’re ready, help me up?” You make grabby hands towards him, and he chuckles.

“What, too busy chatting it up with your chums in your head to respond to me?” Hop teases as he pulls you to your feet.

“Yes, actually, I didn’t even hear you. I didn’t realize that could happen.” You give him a sheepish look, and he shoots you a sympathetic one in return.

“And this is why you’re useless without me.” He gently bumps into you with his shoulder, and winks at you. You snort in laughter, and he grins at you.

“And you’re useless without me, we’ve been over this.” You roll your eyes at him. Hop laughs, and begins wrangling all the Pokémon into walking the correct direction.

The two of you continue to banter right up until you make it to Hulbury.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hop has a Toxel in Stow-on-Side so I decided this was a cute way to give it to him.
> 
> And aaaaye earning that trans-character tag back again. Finally, lmao I didn’t realize it would take me so long to get to this part originally. I didn’t realize just how slow I was going to write this oops.
> 
> The bridge between Hulbury and Turffield doesn’t actually have a name, but I think “Route 5 Bridge” is lame, I also think the route numbers are ridiculous. Why is the very first route between Wedgehurst and Postwick? That makes no sense. I refuse to acknowledge them. So I made my own name fight me creative license.
> 
> So Corvisquire can’t actually learn Wing Attack. I don’t know why, they have wings, and they’re physical attackers. I’m taking creative licence again, because I see no logical reason Corvisquire and their line cannot learn Wing Attack.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have a twitter now. I'm @MightyMage5 there if you'd like to add me. I'm still figuring out how to use Twitter here lol.
> 
> Thank you to my beta readers Audzilla28 and Ember564

You and Hop plan to stop at the Center first, but there’s a commotion nearby that draws the two of you away from it. You look at Hop curiously, and he shrugs, leading the two of you to head closer. There’s a crowd of people around two people, but you don’t recognize them. On second thought, you might recognize the tall blond lady as the one always with Chairman Rose. Was the shorter man in the ridiculous getup the Chairman then?

“Isn’t that Rose?” Hop asks rhetorically, answering your question for you. “Jeez, he looks ridiculous.”

“And I thought Leon had bad fashion sense,” you reply, and Hop gives you a dirty look.

He’s about to respond when the blond woman speaks up. “Our sincerest apologies! The Chairman is quite busy at the moment. Everyone, please disperse! Please leave now!” You put your finger to your lip and tug Hop behind the wall of a nearby building. It’s close enough that the two of you can still see and hear without really being seen yourselves.

Hop looks at you like you’ve grown a second head. “What are you doing, mate?” He at least has the common sense to whisper. You still put your finger over his mouth to shush him regardless.

“Eavesdropping, obviously.” You roll your eyes at him and turn back to Rose.

“No need to rush off! I can still do autographs!” Rose calls after the retreating crowd. When no one turns back around, he tugs his cap down and turns back to the blond woman. “We need the support of our fans to keep doing what we’re doing. Chasing them off like that… Aren’t you being a bit too harsh, Oleana?”

The woman, Oleana, sighs. “Yes, fans are very important, of course. That’s why you need to keep doing your work, for their sake.”

There’s someone who’s hung back, and you recognize him as Bede, who steps forward now. Hop seems to recognize him at the same time as you, as he gasps beside you and shoots you a look.

“I promise to do everything in my power to assist you, too, Chairman!” Bede exclaims as he comes forward, startling Rose. Oleana doesn’t budge.

“Ah, Bede! I wasn’t expecting to run into you here. I daresay I’m impressed with how far you’ve come since I gave you that Hatenna all those years ago…” Rose seems to get sentimental. “You are of great help to me, my boy. I wonder, will you be the one to win the Gym Challenge? Or perhaps it will be one of those Trainers endorsed by the Champion.”

Hop gives you a look, and you put a finger back on his lips to keep him quiet, pulling him closer behind the building with you. “I will prove your faith in me was well placed, Chairman.” Bede is speaking again, but from further back here behind the wall, you can’t see the three of them anymore. “I won’t lose to anyone!” Hop snorts behind your finger, and you have to glare at him. “Anyway, I’ve got the Water Badge, I will be on my way to Motostoke now.”

“Ah, yes, you have quite the journey ahead of you. You take care out there,” Rose speaks, and the conversation goes quiet after that. After a moment of trying to listen for anything else, Hop’s eyes suddenly go wide, and he turns to you.

He pushes you back a ways, and hisses, “Quick, dig in your bag or something, look not suspicious!” You follow his orders in a panic, and tug your bag in front of you and begin digging through it. For what, you don’t know, but as you hear the clicking of high heels approaching, you begin to understand exactly what Hop meant.

“I’m sure I have it here somewhere,” you mutter out loud, trying hard not to seem suspicious, when you see Rose and Oleana round the corner.

“Take your time, mate,” Hop replies robotically, and he sounds suspicious to you, but you hope to these two, it’s not obvious.

“Ah, you two, you’re the Trainers endorsed by the Champion, right? We were just talking about you!” Rose comes to a stop beside the two of you, and you look to Hop guiltily before turning to Rose. Did he know?

“That’s right, we are,” Hop answers for you, and Rose nods.

“I admit, I’m curious about Leon’s reasons for endorsing you. You in particular,” Rose looks at you, “I can’t figure out why. Ah! I just had a good idea, as I tend to do!” This man is so full of himself, you clench your teeth to avoid rolling your eyes. “You’re going to face Gym Leader Nessa soon, yes?”

Hop looks to you, and you realize he’s waiting for you to answer. “Uh, yeah, soon, why?” You figure less information is better, you don’t want him judging you over your leg, or worse.

“If you get a Gym Badge from her, I’ll hold a celebration. I’d like to get to know you a little better, after all!” Rose smiles brightly at you and Hop, and Hop grins back. You feel an uneasiness settle into your stomach at Rose’s words. You don’t think him getting to know you better is a good thing.

“That sounds ace!” Hop shouts, and you force yourself to smile.

“Chairman, we should really be going…” You overhear Oleana as she leans in close to Rose.

“I’ll take you for dinner at this town’s famous seafood restaurant. Please do your best, for the sake of Galar’s future!” Rose nods politely before turning and making his leave.

Oleana steps up to the two of you. “Win the Gym Badge and join him there tonight. Do not keep him waiting,” is all she says, before turning on her heel and following after Rose. Her words send a chill down your spine, and when you turn to Hop, he’s no longer smiling.

“Certainly doesn’t leave us much time, hey?” Hop complains, frowning at you. “We should head to the Center first.” He gives you a hard look that tells you there isn’t any room to argue this, so you nod and let him lead you off to the Center.

There is a doctor expecting you at the Center. She greets you in the room you’re taken to, and begins to assess you. When you realize Hop is here, and he might overhear her say something about how injured you truly are, you quickly think of a plan to get Hop out of there.

“Hey Hop, wanna go get us all lunch while I do this? That way we can save some time.” You look to him, and he grins.

You feel relief flood you as he replies, “Sure, mate! I’ll go find something!” He hops up from his chair and dashes off. You take a deep breath and sigh.

The doctor looks at you and raises an eyebrow. You give her a sheepish look, “He doesn’t know how bad my leg is. I’ve lied to him about it. If I stop the Gym Challenge, he will too, and I don’t want that. That’s why I have to keep going. Even though I know I shouldn’t.” You explain, and she looks at you pitifully.

“You understand this will leave you permanently injured, correct?” She asks as she bends your leg in a way that particularly hurts. You wonder if she does it on purpose.

“Yes. I know the risks. But I’m going to try, because I made a promise to Hop, and to my Pokémon.” You wince, and she sets down your leg.

“The doctor you saw in Turffield mentioned as much in his notes to me. I can’t stop you, as much as I want to. I only hope I don’t see you in here later,” she sighs as she begins writing down some notes. She leaves before Hop returns, and you’re thankful your secret is safe for a bit longer.

You know you’re going to have to tell Hop eventually. You just don’t know how yet.

You tell Hop you have the ok to do the Gym, even though you don’t, because you’re too afraid of what might happen if you can’t do it today. Would you get disqualified? Oleana made it sound like a threat, and you and Hop had better be there tonight with Badges.

After lunch, Hop leads you out to go to the Stadium. He yammers on excitedly about the Gym Challenge, and you have to nod along with a fake smile, the lie sitting like a rock in your stomach. Hop leads you into the Gym, and up to the counter to register. There’s not nearly as many Gym Challengers here as there were in Turffield, so you and Hop are able to get spots right away.

However, the League Staff at the counter has some bad news, “After the last Challenger, Nessa took off! She said she was taking a break! She left her phone behind, too. If you two want to battle her today, you’re going to have to go hunt her down. She’s likely at the docks, or the lighthouse. Fishing, I bet.” She laughs briefly. “You two shouldn’t have too much trouble finding her, don’t worry.”

“Well, that certainly throws a spanner in the works,” Hop groans, and you nod.

“Guess we’re going hunting for Nessa.” You get directions to both the docks and the lighthouse from the League Staff, and she helpfully writes them down for you. She even draws a little map for you.

“If you’re anything like the Champion who endorsed you two, you’re going to need it!” She laughs, and Hop laughs along with her.

“Nah, we’re not nearly as bad as he is! And she’s ace at finding her way around! We won’t get lost, don’t worry!” Hop brags, and you’re thankful for your amazing friend and his confidence in you.

Who you are lying to. Blatantly.

You suggest the lighthouse first, mostly because you want to see it. You have to take a break before you head out there, as your leg hurts from the walk to the Stadium, but Hop isn’t patient enough to wait with you. He runs down to the docks to check while you wait on a bench. Your Pokémon play with each other while you wait.

Hop returns empty-handed, which means Nessa must be at the lighthouse. As you and Hop approach, you do in fact spot Nessa out past the lighthouse, with Sonia. You and Hop share a look, it looks like the two of them are in the middle of a pretty heated conversation. You want to eavesdrop again, but Sonia is your friend, so you think better of it.

As you and Hop walk up, Sonia turns to greet you. Nessa does not, but she does throw her head over her shoulder to look at you. “Oh, wow, speaking of,” Sonia declares loudly as you and Hop get closer. Were they talking about you?

“The Gym Challengers Leon endorsed. The two of you have become something of a hot topic among the Gym Leaders, you know,” Nessa states, slowly reeling in the line of a fishing rod.

“Really? Why?” You can’t help but ask.

Nessa raises an eyebrow at you, and turns back to the ocean when her line comes back up empty. “You don’t know? This is the first time Leon has ever endorsed anyone. Now Hop, we all saw coming, but you? That was a surprise. And you two have been nothing but surprises since.” She stares at her fishing rod as if contemplating throwing the line back in again.

“Surprises?” You ponder, but you can also guess what she means by that.

“I suppose you’re here because you want to challenge my Gym, right?” She asks, and Hop nods eagerly. “I love fishing, but I love Pokémon battles even more, and I’m aching to battle the two of you. Especially after seeing your battles with Milo. Come on, let’s head back to the Stadium together.” She decides against throwing the line back out, finally turning away from the ocean.

You learn Sonia and Nessa are best friends as the group of you heads back towards the Stadium. Nessa pulls a face when you need to take a break due to pain, but she doesn’t argue about it. Sonia is quick to find a bench for you, and you wonder if Sonia is what keeps Nessa from saying anything.

Back at the Stadium, Hop is once again the one going first in the Gym Mission. Once again, you can’t watch, as you haven’t done it, but Sonia goes in to watch Hop and offers to cheer extra hard for you. You thank her, and sit anxiously in the lobby alone with your Pokémon, while Hop completes the Gym Mission.

He doesn’t set another record this time, but he still finishes it quickly. He wears a frown when he comes out to see you, though. “Mate, this isn’t good… I think you’re going to have some real trouble with this one.”

Hop goes on to explain the grates for walkways, and the mechanics of the water puzzle. The more he explains, the more of a challenge this sounds like it’s going to be. Will you even be able to do it? There’s stairs, and the floor isn’t fully solid. Raboot and Corvisquire are confident they can help you through it. “Can you use your Pokémon again in this one?” You ask cautiously.

“Yep!” Hop grins, and you sigh in relief. “Oh, I memorized the order of the puzzle. I won’t tell you if you don’t want me to, but I thought knowing in advance might save you some time. That way you can focus on just getting to where you need to go, and you won’t waste a bunch of time and energy going somewhere by accident.”

“Oh, Hoppy, thank you. Yes, I absolutely want to know.” You’re timed again, Hop has informed you, so any bit of time you can save increases your chances of beating this Mission. Hop shares the order with you and your Pokémon, and now you have three heads remembering this. Hopefully between the three of you, you win this one easier than the last one.

Hop walks back to the room with the Gym Mission with you. He takes your walker from you at the entrance, and Raboot and Corvisquire take their positions holding you up. Raboot grabs you from you left side, while Corvisquire wraps his claws gently under your armpits to hold you upright. You thank Hop with a brief hug before he runs off and you push open the doors to the Mission.

Right away there are stairs down to the platforms where the puzzle is. There’s no railing you can cling to, either. Nor is there any on any of the stairs leading around between platforms. You cling a little harder to Raboot as you carefully climb down the stairs.

At the bottom of the platform, you’re able to take in the whole room. Everything is suspended above a massive pool of water, and you see what Hop meant about water flowing at high speeds out of colourful pipes to block your way. You go over the order again in your head, trying to map it out as a League Staff comes up to you.

“The Hulbury mission is this! A challenging maze! And you must reach the goal within the time limit to clear the mission!” The man explains how it works, and how you activate and deactivate the pipes. “Now, let the Gym Mission begin!” He announces, and the timer begins counting down.

You begin hobbling over to the first switch, falling into it in your haste and inability to stop in time. _Red, yellow, red again_ you repeat in your head as you and your Pokémon make your way to each switch. There’s stairs next, ones you have to go up, and you take a deep breath as your Pokémon help you keep your balance up them.

You’re basically crawling up them as you fall forward and catch yourself on the stairs above you. It works easier this way, you don’t care if it looks embarrassing. You’re on a time limit here. _Skip the next red switch and head for the yellow, then loop around for the red,_ you follow Hop’s steps, thankful for this. You’re able to focus on moving, instead of solving the puzzle. You’re sure you’d have a lot of trouble figuring this out through the pain without his solution.

There are Gym Trainers here too, who try to stop you from proceeding. They all use Water-type Pokémon, though, so it’s easier to send Corvisquire out to fight them than it is to send Raboot. It’s easier to lean against Raboot than it is to lean against Corvisquire, anyways. It’s unfortunate that Corvisquire is still getting more battle experience, but Raboot understands in this situation.

Up more stairs, past more switches, you race all the way to the far away yellow switch, as per Hop’s instructions. _Then red, then blue, then we’re done!_ You and your Pokémon cheer, even as you crawl up all the stairs. You’re so close, and you’re doing well for time too. Even as you struggle up the final, long chunk of stairs, you’ve got over a minute left. Hop’s instructions really did save you this time.

You make it to the platform at the end with 38 seconds left on the clock. You want to collapse, but you don’t, as right outside the door will be Hop, waiting with your walker and a warm hug. You push open the doors and fall into Hop’s open arms first, and he wraps them around you tight.

“Mate, you did it! Are you ok? You look like you’re in pain.” You are, you’d been ignoring it through the Mission to focus on completing it. Now that you sag into Hop, however, it fully washes over you just how much pain you’re in. You wail softly into Hop’s shoulder, trying to bite back tears.

“Yeah, but my pain meds are in my bag,” you explain. Your bag is in your locker in the change room, so Hop grimaces.

“Let’s go get them, then I’ll get to my match. I’ll try to stall for as long as I can so they can take effect before you battle.” Hop helps you to your walker, but keeps his arms around you even after you take hold of it.

“Hop, be careful, you don’t want to lose,” you scold him. As kind as his offer is, you don’t like how much he’s sacrificing himself for you.

“Nonsense! I have Thwackey and Toxel! And Wooloo knows an Electric-type move! I’ve got this one in the bag, mate!” Hop grins widely at you, before his smile drops. “I’m more worried about you. You’re at a pretty big disadvantage, even without being injured…” Hop explains, glancing away from you as he leads you down the hall.

“We’ll manage,” it’s all you can really say to that. You really don’t have a plan, after all. Hop gets your pain meds for you, and splits off with you when you go up to the stands to watch his match. Hop is going first again, so you can see what Pokémon Nessa has, and hopefully formulate a plan.

It isn’t long until the announcer is introducing Hop and Nessa as they walk out into the pitch. “It’s so hard to cheer for Hop, but I know Nessa has to lose to Gym Challengers who are good enough. It’s still hard to cheer for her to lose, she’s my best friend!” You give Sonia a sympathetic smile, you can relate. You can’t imagine ever wanting to cheer for someone else against Hop. Hell, you want to cheer for Hop even when _you’re_ fighting him.

Nessa’s Stadium is interesting. You can see panels that look like they move to reveal water, and you guess that must be how the Water-type Pokémon battle. There’s still a circular Pokéball pattern atop the collection of square panels, and Hop and Nessa walk into the center of it. The stands are not as full as they were at Turffield, either, despite Hulbury being a much larger city than Turffield.

“Welcome, Gym Challenger! Sorry to have made you look for me, I didn’t think I’d be getting any more Challengers today.” Ah, so maybe that had something to do with why the stands were emptier. “You used your Pokémon creatively to clear the Gym Mission, and I’m impressed. I always like to see new ways to solve an old problem. No matter how creative a plan you come up with, my partners and I will be sure to sink it.” She turns on her heel and begins walking out to the edge of the Pokéball.

Hop scratches his head for a moment, it looks like he was about to say something before Nessa promptly walked away. He turns and walks to the edge regardless, and pulls out a Pokéball. Nessa pulls out a blue Pokéball and holds it out, and the same music from the last Gym begins playing over the speakers again.

Nessa winds back and tosses out her Pokéball with a fancy flourish, lifting her leg perfectly vertically. You’re impressed by her flexibility. As the ball flies, the panel it was about to land on opens up, and reveals the water underneath. The ball opens, revealing a Goldeen swimming in the water. More panels begin opening around the pitch as Hop tosses out his Toxel.

“Toxel, get to the edge near Goldeen and use Nuzzle on her!” Hop instructs, and his Toxel runs over to the panel Goldeen is swimming under.

“Use Supersonic!” Nessa shouts, and Goldeen’s move hits first. Toxel wobbles back and forth before successfully using Nuzzle on Goldeen, grabbing the Water Pokémon when she tries to swim by underneath the Electric-type.

“Try Acid next!” Hop throws a fist up in the air as he shouts, and Toxel tries belching some acid onto Goldeen. She swims around it and jumps up to use Horn Attack on Toxel, knocking him back and away from the edge. Goldeen gracefully dives back into an open panel.

“Finish her with Water Pulse!” Nessa orders, and Goldeen swims back over to Toxel.

“No! Get her with Nuzzle first!” Hop yells in a panic. Toxel is barely able to grab Goldeen and use Nuzzle on her before she hits Toxel back with Water Pulse. The move knocks Toxel out, and Hop grimaces. “Not good, you did your best!” He recalls his partner, and digs out his next Pokéball. “No matter, I still have Thwackey!” Hop tosses out his next Pokémon, and out pops Thwackey in the middle of the pitch. “Branch Poke!”

Thwackey, a fast and agile Pokémon, has no issue hanging off the edges of the panels to thrust his stick into the water to hit the dodging Goldeen. One good hit takes her out, and Thwackey climbs back up onto the pitch.

Nessa pulls a face as she recalls her Pokémon, and sends out her next one. You recognize Arrokuda from around Sonia’s Gran’s house – there’s a ton of them in the lake there. “Use Bite!” Nessa sends her Pokémon straight into battle, and the Water-type quickly swims over to Thwackey.

Thwackey’s easily able to flip out of the way of the Arrokuda that shoots out of the water at him, even landing a hit on her with his sticks as the Arrokuda flies by. Hop grins widely at Thwackey, “Brilliant! One more hit and she should go down!”

“Try again!” Nessa calls out, and Arrokuda turns around to hit Thwackey. Thwackey is prepared, and dodges down by grabbing the edge of an open panel and flipping himself through the water and out another open panel. You can see Hop’s hands move in somatic commands to Thwackey, instructing him through these tricks, but you only catch it because you’ve seen Hop teach these to Thwackey.

Nessa audibly growls, and her mic picks it up. “Grrr, come on Arrokuda, you can do this! One more try!” She yells, uncrossing her arms to throw one out to point at Thwackey. Arrokuda begins speeding through the water towards the Grass-type, and he lowers himself again into an open panel, right in Arrokuda’s path.

You’re sure Hop knows what he’s doing, but it sure doesn’t look like it. That is, until Thwackey’s quick reflexes allow him to hit Arrokuda first, knocking the Water-type out. Nessa tugs on her hair and groans, recalling her Pokémon to send out her last one.

“I’ve saved my very best for last, my dear Drednaw!” She only sends him out for a moment, deciding to Dynamax him right away. “Time for Dynamax! Time to show everyone what you can do!”

Hop recalls his Thwackey at the same time. “Then it looks like we’ll Dynamax too!” Both trainers are throwing their large Pokéballs out at nearly the same time, and two massive Pokémon form at either end of the pitch.

Both Hop and Nessa book it to the side of the pitch, but not before yelling orders to their Pokémon. “Max Overgrowth!” Hop shouts, as Nessa shouts “Max Rockfall!”

Both Pokémon use their moves at the same time. Only one explodes from the hit. Nessa’s giant Drednaw falls to the powerful attack, and you can hear Nessa let out a muffled scream over the speakers. Grass is something Drednaw is doubly weak to, so he went down in a single hit from Hop’s Pokémon. She shoves her hands into her hair, making a mess of it, and screws her face up.

“Gym Leader Nessa is out of useable Pokémon, Challenger Hop is the winner!” The announcer’s voice comes to life again over the speakers.

“How?! One hit?! I hate Grass-types!” Nessa stomps once on the ground before sighing. Both trainers walk back to the middle of the pitch then, and Nessa recalls her fainted Pokémon. “Your Pokémon are strong, and you’ve formed an even stronger bond with them. To use my own Stadium against me so well takes talent and creativity, and you’ve proven you have both today. Here, the Water Badge. You’ve earned it.”

Hop holds out his hand, and Nessa places something in it. “I know you have goals of taking down your brother. Keep working hard, and I can see you using his own strengths against him to take him down, too.” Hop grins widely at Nessa’s praise.

“Thanks!” Hop states. The two shake hands before departing from the pitch, and the announcer lets everyone know there’s going to be a 15 minute break before your match.

“Good luck, you’re going to need it.” Sonia hugs you briefly before you leave. You hope to run into Hop and congratulate him on his match before yours starts, so you head down to the pitch as soon as Sonia lets you go.

It’s easy enough to run into Hop, as he’s charging down the hall already when you make your way back. The Gym Staff here let you take your walker back again once you explain that they let you in Turffield, and she doesn’t even give you that much trouble about it. Hop throws himself at you and wraps you up in a tight hug, with a loud laugh right next to your ear.

“What a match, mate! That was incredible! Was I amazing out there or what?” You can hear the wide smile in Hop’s voice, and you can’t help the happy laugh that bubbles out of you.

“Yes! Congrats! You were as amazing as ever, Hop!” You gush to him, hugging him back just as tightly. Hop holds you for a while, and this time you can let him, as you don’t have to go find anyone before your match.

“How’s your leg doing? The pain meds kick in yet?” They hadn’t yet, but you had about 10 more minutes for them to hopefully do so.

You shake your head and share as much with Hop. “No, but hopefully soon.”

Hop nods sadly, pulling back out of the hug a bit to look at you. “You going to be ok out there?”

You shrug. “I sure hope so. I’m going to have to be, aren’t I?” Hop shakes his head at your words.

“If you can’t do it today, we can just reschedule you for tomorrow.” Hop explains, but then you shake your head.

“Rose is expecting us with badges tonight at that fancy restaurant. I don’t want to get disqualified, and Rose has the power to do that.” Hop’s eyes seem to bulge out of his head at your words.

“What? Why would he do that?” Hop sounds concerned.

“Didn’t you hear Oleana?” You remind him, and Hop’s face falls.

“I guess they do have the power to do that… You’re right, but please be careful, ok?”

“I’ll do my best.” It’s the best you can promise. Hop nods sadly, before letting you go completely.

“You should get out there, I’ll walk back with you,” Hop offers, wrapping an arm back around your waist and leading you down the hall.

“Thanks.” You lean into him a bit more than you need to, and take a big sigh.

You really hope you can do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've officially hit 100k words! Thank you so much for all the love and support I receive from so many of you. It truly means the world to me to read your comments and know so many of you are enjoying this. Thank you for sticking around, and I hope you'll stay until we hit the end! I've gone so much farther with this than I ever thought I would, and I couldn't be more proud of myself. 
> 
> Rose doesn’t recognize Bede at first in Hulbury and I wanted to use that for the comedy of it, but then immediately turns around and gets all sentimental with the “oh I got you your first Pokémon remember?” and it’s like ok Rose pick one, do you know the kid or not. So I went with that Rose did know him because it made more sense to me and in the context of my story. But always keep in mind that Rose doesn’t even know him in game like ouch the dude’s such a douche.
> 
> Also: Nessa’s Gym. I was so unsure how to use Goldeen and Arrokuda in battle until I was replaying and took a real close look at her arena. The whole thing is covered in squares. Like they look like panels. Go look it up I swear. So then I added that there might be water underneath all of them and they can open up or stay closed to act as solid ground. I hope you enjoy my creativity here.
> 
> So I'm up to Chapter Twenty-Eight in what I'm working on typing up. It was weird to go so far back to read this before posting.


	30. Chapter Twenty-Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter I have written so far at 6.7k words. Enjoy.
> 
> Thank you Audzilla28 and Ember564 for beta reading.
> 
> Is anyone else still even reading this anymore lol

Hop leaves you at the entrance to the pitch, and he runs off to make it to the stands in time to watch you. A League Staff comes up and puts a mic on you, similar to last time, and you’re reminded for what feels like the 100th time that you can’t take your walker out with you.

“I know, this is not the first time I’ve done this, I am well aware of the rules,” you shoot back angrily, tired of constantly being told this.

You have a few minutes, so you let Raboot and Corvisquire out of their balls to talk strategy with them. Or less talk, more think to yourselves. You don’t really need words with your Pokémon, after all.

Raboot wants to be used first. You let him know he might faint, these are Water-types, and he’s weak to that. _Just recall me when it gets close,_ Raboot requests, and you nod. _And I want to Dynamax this time._

_Well aren’t you demanding,_ you chide him, but acquiesce to it regardless. _Anything you want?_ You turn to Corvisquire, who just shakes his head. You go over what moves your Pokémon know that would be best against each of Nessa’s Pokémon.

A chime in your ear lets you know to return your Pokémon and get ready to walk out. Your Pokémon were helping you stand, so now you have to lean against the wall until it’s time to walk out. The lights are momentarily blinding again as you hear your name and number called, and you limp out weakly under all the lights.

You’re thankful now that the stands are less full, as it’s still embarrassing to be limping like this. Nessa crosses her arms while she waits for you in the center of the pitch, and the cameras buzz around you while you make your way there. You make sure to wave at Hop and Sonia when your eyes catch them.

When you meet Nessa in the middle of the pitch, she uncrosses her arms and speaks. “Well, well, well Gym Challenger. Finally here, huh? Despite your speed hurdles, my Mission seemed to prove no challenge to you. Your mind as a Pokémon Trainer must be quite refined. No matter what kind of refined plan you and your team have in mind, mine will crush you beneath our waves!” Nessa once again turns and walks away before you can get a word in.

Which is fine, you’re really not good at smack talk or anything, so it almost feels better that you don’t have to think of something to say back. And good thing, that – Nessa sounds like she thinks you solved it on your own. You know you did not, but it’s good she doesn’t seem to be on to you.

Or maybe she is, and this is her way of calling you out. Either way, now is not the time to be worrying about it. That familiar tune plays once more as Nessa holds out a pretty blue coloured Pokéball. She tosses it into one of the opening panels as you dig out your first Pokéball, and her Goldeen reappears to battle with you.

You toss out Raboot first, just as he requested. If he wants to Dynamax, too, you figure the best time to do that is right away. As soon as he’s out, before Nessa can get her Goldeen to attack Raboot, you recall him and tap your Dynamax band. The crowd begins screaming as you Dynamax your Pokémon early on. You hold Raboot’s ball to your Dynamax band and it gets large and heavy. You twist with the weight of it and use its momentum once again to toss it up in the air as high as you can.

The ball successfully breaks open and reveals a giant version of Raboot, towering nearly up to the overhanging rafters above the crowds. You remember that you don’t have to get out of the way unless Nessa also Dynamaxes her Pokémon, and it seems she is not as she’s run off to the side of the pitch.

“Use Water Pulse!” Nessa shouts, and her Goldeen swims up to one of the open panels and shoots a blast of water at Raboot. It hurts him quite a bit, but being Dynamaxed means he’s still good to be battling. _Aim there and use Max Fighting-type Move_ you tell Raboot over your bond, unsure what that move would be called. He knows what you mean though, and successfully hits Goldeen with a massive fist that comes out of thin air above Raboot.

Another one of those should knock her Goldeen out, so you instruct Raboot to do it again. “Again!” Nessa orders, and her Goldeen is faster, as she hits your Raboot first, just before the strike of the massive fist hits her. Goldeen hangs on by just a bit, but she’s moving pretty slowly in the water.

Raboot is not doing well, either. Those two water moves hurt, and he’s barely hanging in there. He’s propped himself up on his knee to keep standing. _One more! You can hit her first!_ You instruct, but Nessa’s Goldeen is still faster, and she hits Raboot with another Water move before Raboot can finish preparing his move.

It’s just like at Turffield again. When Raboot explodes when the Dynamax forcibly ends, it _hurts_ you so much that you fall to your knees. You gasp as tears sting your eyes, and madly begin digging for Raboot’s Pokéball. He’s unconscious, you didn’t mean for this to happen, you should have recalled him before this happened. You had the chance, but you thought he’d be faster. You feel awful.

You toss out Corvisquire once Raboot has been recalled, and you try to struggle back up to your feet. Corvisquire being airborne gives him as much room to dodge as Nessa’s Pokémon have in the water under the panels. There’s a moment where he sees Goldeen pop up, and is perfectly able to calculate where to dive based on your perspective of the battle and his.

He nails Goldeen with Retaliate, which is totally overkill, but Corvisquire is pissed. You try to instruct him to use another move, but he is too angry over Raboot’s fainting to care about that. He wants to get back at Goldeen for taking out his best friend.

Nessa frowns as she digs out her Pokéball and recalls her fainted partner. The next Pokémon Nessa brings out is her Arrokuda. “Water Jet!” Nessa yells as soon as he appears in the water, and he follows her command. Corvisquire’s easily able to dodge the jets of water Arrokuda shoots at him, but Arrokuda is able to dive deep enough into the water that Corvisquire’s claws rake harmlessly past her.

“Use Bite!” Nessa instructs, and Arrokuda launches herself out of the water at high speed towards Corvisquire. He’s ready for her, though, and finally is able to land Peck against her. It’s such a devastating hit, Corvisquire is right pissed from all the dodging, and it seems to do more damage than it normally should have.

She falls and lands heavily onto one of the panels not pulled back to reveal water, and she flops back into the water. _Good hit, we almost have her!_ You share with Corvisquire, and he trills in appreciation. Arrokuda isn’t giving Corvisquire another chance to hit her like that again, though, swimming far into Nessa’s side of the pitch.

From this far away, it’s impossible to see Arrokuda, so you can’t help Corvisquire with telling where she is. You’re going to have to get closer. Nessa runs around at the back of the pitch, directing Arrokuda on how to dodge Corvisquire. It’s easy when he can’t tell precisely where to dive with the aide of your eyes.

You limp along the ground, watching for open panels so you don’t fall in. It’s difficult, the ground is slippery, and you can’t get good traction when you have to limp. Your left leg slides out from under you, and you fall on your ass. Pain shoots up your leg, and your spine from landing on your tailbone. You cry out, but struggle back to your feet. You can’t give up here, and Corvisquire is never going to land a hit like this.

Nessa isn’t making her Pokémon attack, however. She’s solely focused on dodging right now. It’s a strange play, as now is when Corvisquire is more open. Is she trying to test you? Make you move around her battlefield to see how well you can do it? She has her arms crossed as she stands there and watches you struggle, and you get the feeling that’s exactly what she’s doing.

You make it upright once more. Hobbling a bit more gets you close enough to see Arrokuda, and you’re able to direct a hit of Power Trip against Arrokuda when she swims through an open panel. Arrokuda survives the hit, and keeps swimming. She shoots past underneath you, towards the other end of the pitch, and Nessa tears past you in a run.

She’s totally doing this on purpose, you realize. This is what Milo meant about Gym Leaders being harder on you for your injury. You want to scream, but you take a deep breath and focus your anger on the battle. Corvisquire is even more pissed on your behalf now, and he’s ready to take Arrokuda out.

You limp after Nessa and your Pokémon, in a hurry to get over there and finish the Water-type off. Your foot catches on the edge of an open panel in your haste, knocking you over.

You tumble right into the open panel, into the water below.

It’s cold, and that stuns you for a moment. Your feet can’t touch the bottom either, so you begin thrashing your arms in an attempt to get back to the surface. Corvisquire abandons battling, flying over to try and rescue you. He flies low enough to grab your arms with his claws, and he’s able to pull you back onto a closed panel.

You cough and sputter as Corvisquire sets you down, and Nessa runs over to you. She doesn’t get very close, but calls out, “Are you ok to continue battling?”

You’re not, you’re really not. You’re in so much pain. But saying no would mean taking a loss, and you can’t do that. You nod your head to her, and Corvisquire helps you to your feet by lifting you again.

Nessa nods back, and shouts to her Arrokuda, “Use Aqua Jet!” You see her pop out of a panel, and instruct _there!_ Corvisquire dives down, hitting Arrokuda with Power Trip before she can use her move. You see her tumble back in the water, and when she stops, she remains completely still.

Nessa groans, recalling her. “No matter, I’ve been saving the best for last! Come on out, Drednaw!” She tosses her last Pokémon out, and he appears on the solid panels. You’re both down to your last Pokémon now, and you take a deep breath as Nessa recalls her Pokémon immediately. You know what this means, so you begin limping off to the side of the pitch. “Flood the Stadium and make it our ocean! Drednaw, time to Dynamax!” She shouts as she launches her massively sized Pokéball out behind her with what looks like relative ease.

Out comes an even bigger Drednaw, who towers above Nessa. He’s not as tall as Raboot was, but he’s long, and takes up most of the back half of the pitch. “Use Max Geyser!” Nessa calls to her massive Pokémon. He launches a large jet of water at Corvisquire, knocking him out of the air with the powerful hit. He’s able to recover and launch at Drednaw with Revenge, hurting Drednaw pretty significantly since he was hurt first.

“Max Rockfall! We almost have him!” Nessa is right, you’re not sure Corvisquire can survive one more hit. Drednaw is unfortunately faster, though, and lands the large Rock-type attack against Corvisquire. The giant chunk of rock causes him to fall to the ground, landing painfully, but he hasn’t quite lost consciousness. _Please hang in there, please,_ you beg of him, and he struggles to his feet before taking off.

He launches himself at Drednaw, intending to finish this no matter what. He slams into Drednaw with Revenge, and the Water-type explodes as Corvisquire’s attack finishes off the Dynamaxed Pokémon. He falls to the ground after, barely conscious, barely hanging in there.

Nessa frustratedly rakes her hands through her hair, messing it up slightly. “I can’t believe we were washed away like that!” She yells, before huffing loudly. “How can this be? You used a Fire-type against me! Tsk,” she seethes, and shakes her head. “Now that I’ve battled you, I think I understand what my best friend was saying. Continue to seize victories in the Gym Challenge with your Pokémon. You have incredible spirit that may even be strong enough to challenge the Champion.”

Nessa meets you in the middle of the pitch. Her words don’t mean as much to you knowing what she put you through. “Thank you, that’s high praise,” you reply monotonously, and Nessa’s face softens slightly.

“You and your Pokémon are indeed deserving of this Gym Badge.” You hold your hand out, and she places the badge in the palm of your hand. “Next will be the Fire Gym Leader. As you and your Pokémon are now, he’ll definitely want to battle you. He’ll recognize that burning passion in your eyes.” Nessa shakes your hand before departing the pitch.

You turn in the opposite direction, and begin limping to the entrance you came out from. You all but collapse against your walker, glad for the pain meds that numb the bite in your leg slightly. Hop meets you down the hall, running like his life depends on it. He tackles you in a hug that knocks both of you to the ground with its force, as Hop has zero self-restraint and doesn’t even try to stop in time.

You cry out in pain as the action really hurts your leg. “Mate, you did it! You really- are you ok? Did I hurt you?! I’m so sorry!” Hop’s going a mile a minute, as usual, and you wince as he pulls away to look at you. You nod to him in way of answer, and he carefully helps you up. Your leg won’t hold your weight after that, so Hop offers to carry you on his back out to the lobby.

“No, straight to the Center. Raboot needs to get healed, and so does Corvisquire!” You demand, and Hop sighs.

“I’m setting you down in the lobby, getting our things, and then we’re going to the Center, alright?” His tone tells you there isn’t room to argue here, but you try anyways.

“No, you can get our stuff later! Raboot’s hurt! He really hurt when the Dynamax thing ended! We have to go to the Center!” You’re only fighting so hard about this because you’re so worried about Raboot. This feels like déjà vu.

“Sorry, mate. That’s not the order. Raboot will likely be comfier if we let him out in the lobby and heal him up a bit with a potion, then get him to the Center outside of his ball.” Hop’s logic makes sense when you give yourself a moment to stop fighting him and to think about his words.

“Ok, fine, you win.” You deflate against his back, and Hop seems satisfied with his victory over you. “Sorry I’m getting you all wet too,” you murmur quietly after a moment. You do feel bad, you’re still soaking wet from falling in the water, and cold, and you’re getting Hop all wet too.

“If that bothered me, I wouldn’t have offered to carry you, mate. Don’t worry about it. We should get you out of those wet clothes before we get to the Center, though.” Hop leaves you in the lobby after that, and you let Raboot out of his ball. He’s still unconscious, and you’re thankful for that, that he didn’t wake up in his ball again and freak out. You stroke his fur, waiting for Hop to return with a potion.

Sonia and Nessa both come out together before Hop comes back with your stuff. Sonia comes and takes a seat beside you, “Congrats on your victory! That was a close one, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! Hop clung to my arm so hard, I think I’m going to have bruises!” Sonia pulls the sleeve of her jacket up to reveal large, red hand prints on her arm. “Where is he, anyways? He said he was going to help you.” Sonia looks around for him.

“Grabbing our stuff, then he’s taking me to the Center. I’m in a lot of pain again, and Raboot really hurt when the Dynamax effect ended,” you explain to Sonia, and Nessa wordlessly pulls out a potion, and sprays your unconscious Pokémon with it.

“I know, mine all hate it for the same reason. When it forcibly ends, it hurts them a lot.” Nessa relents quietly after a moment. She gently pets the waking Pokémon before carefully scooping him into her arms and passing him to you.

Sonia nods. “You’re not the only people to complain about that. It’s something I’m looking into, but even I don’t really know why it’s happening. Only that it is happening. Rose is aware, yet he still demands all the Gym Leaders use Dynamax in their battles.” Sonia sighs dramatically, and Nessa pats her shoulder.

Raboot freaks out slightly when he first wakes up, confused by the scenery change before relaxing when you pull him into your lap and pet him. He’s grumpy and upset that he fainted so early in battle, but he doesn’t hate the Dynamax effect like Corvisquire does, despite the pain it caused him. He really enjoyed being that big and powerful. _I want to do it again!_ His passion for strength comes through over the bond, and you ruffle the fur around his ears.

Hop comes out of the change rooms carrying both your bags after that, and runs over to the group of you. “Hey, he’s awake! How is he?” Hop asks as he passes you your bag.

You grin to him, “Grumpy! But ok, he just needs some rest at the Center I think,” you assure, and Raboot nods with a yawn. “Thank you for the potion.” You turn to Nessa and offer her a smile.

She simply nods. “It was no issue.”

“Oh yeah, my Badge! I can put it in my ring with my Grass Badge now!” Hop exclaims, and he begins digging in his bag.

“Ring?” You ask dumbfoundedly. This is the first you’ve heard of this.

“You don’t have a Challenger Ring?” Nessa asks, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow at you.

“Yeah she does, it’s this mate!” Hop pulls out a gold ring with his Grass Badge attached to it. Now that you see it, you recognize it. You were given it with your stuff when you signed up for the Gym Challenge. You were supposed to put your Badges on it?

“Oh, I didn’t know that’s what that was for,” you laugh as you begin to dig in your bag for your ring and Grass Badge. Upon pulling them out, you set your Grass Badge and Water Badge in the ring. They click into place, by magnets you think, and Hop shows you where to put them along the ring.

“Cuz then the Fire Badge goes here, between these two, so that’s why there’s a space.” Hop finishes explaining by pointing out where it would go on your ring.

“Oh, shoot, look at the time, I have to go meet Rose for dinner!” Sonia suddenly shouts, and Nessa makes a gagging motion.

“Ugh, good luck surviving that,” Nessa mumbles with a roll of her eyes.

“Wait, Rose invited us for dinner, too,” Hop interjects, looking between Sonia and the clock on his Rotom-phone. “That means we won’t have time for the Center,” Hop grimaces as he looks at you finally.

You frown, and hear Sonia sigh beside you. “Yeah, if Rose invited you, you can’t stand him up. That would be really bad. You two need to get changed and ready, we don’t have a lot of time, if we want to get there in time.” Sonia suggests, getting up from the bench.

It’s less than ideal, but you don’t want to piss Rose off. Your leg is just going to have to wait. Nessa waves the lot of you off as she heads back to the lighthouse to do some more fishing. “Text me when you’re done, we’ll hang after!” Nessa calls to Sonia, and Sonia blows her an exaggerated kiss goodbye that Nessa returns. You smile at the best friends and their adorable antics; you wonder if other people look at you and Hop the same way.

Hop leads you off to the change room, and helps you dry off and change. He’s kind enough to turn around and close his eyes when you’re changing underwear with your Pokémon’s help. But once you’re no longer naked, he turns back around and begins helping you again, mindful of how little time you two have to get ready.

You, Sonia, and Hop don’t get very far outside the Stadium before you run into Oleana. “Good, I was looking for the three of you. Do not keep the Chairman waiting. Head to the seafood restaurant ‘The Captain’s Table’ immediately. Rose is the kind of man who gets downhearted if he can’t take care of the things he needs to right away…” Oleana’s threat makes you feel sick to your stomach for some reason, and it’s clear it doesn’t leave a good taste in the mouths of Hop or Sonia either.

Oleana turns and leaves straightaway after speaking, without letting any of you speak. “Well that’s exactly where we _were_ heading, lady,” Sonia mutters under her breath, and Hop snickers.

“She’s terrifying.” You lean into Hop more, and Hop wraps his arms further around you and rubs your side.

“Yeah, you don’t want to be on her bad side. I’ve heard the tales…” Sonia shudders, and even Hop grimaces.

“Even Lee is afraid of her! She’s really not someone you want to trifle with,” Hop offers with a frown, and you get the idea. “I’ll carry you, mate. That way we can get there faster.” Hop helps you up onto his back again, and the three of you make your way over to The Captain’s Table together as quickly as Hop can with the extra weight.

“So what does Rose want with you two?” Sonia asks on the way over.

“Said he wants to get to know us,” Hop replies with a shrug. “What about you?”

“Oh, says he wants to know about my research! Which, I’m sure he only cares about so he can find out what he can monetize from it. Ugh, the nerve of people like him.” Sonia glowers, kicking hard at a rock in front of her.

It doesn’t take you long to get there, and you know which restaurant it is right away by the crowd gathered outside it. Sonia wades through it and leads you all up to the entrance. Hop sets you down and pulls out your walker for you.

“You going to be ok from here?” He leans in close to your ear and whispers. A shiver runs down your spine at the way his breath feels against your ear.

“I hope so,” you whisper back, and one of his arms snakes itself around your waist for support. You smile softly to him, and he returns it with a wide one of his own. The two of you follow Sonia inside the restaurant. The man guarding the door stops you in particular, and tells you that your Pokémon must be inside their balls within the restaurant. You don’t like it, but Raboot understands the situation well enough to not complain much about being forced back into his ball.

The man moves aside once your Pokémon are safely inside their balls, and lets you and Hop in. Turns out Rose has the whole place booked, as there’s only restaurant staff inside. Rose is sat at a table near the wide windows overlooking the city. Your little group makes its way over to the table, and Rose stands to greet the lot of you.

“Ah, there you all are! I was beginning to wonder when you would all show up!” Though his tone is light, you don’t like the implication that you’ve made this man wait. It’s probably not good. “Hop, Kieran, let us celebrate your recent victories! I’m so glad the three of you know each other already, this will make this a much more pleasant evening. Come now, please, be seated.” Rose gestures to the table, and Hop helps you into your seat. Sonia steals the spot beside you, much to Hop’s disappointment, forcing the lad to go sit beside Rose on the other side of the table.

At least he’s across from you, so you hook your good foot around his ankle, and he smiles softly at you. “Hulbury is a seafood town.” Rose is speaking, so you and Hop both turn to him. “Naturally, if one is going to eat here, the obvious choice is the local cuisine! Everything on the menu is delicious, please order whatever you like.”

A look at the menu and its prices sends your head reeling. You’ve never ate at such a fancy place before, and you’re not even sure what half the things on the menu are. It’s something that you still aren’t fully used to here. Where you’re from, people eat animals, but they don’t have animals here, so people eat Pokémon instead. As someone with the unique ability to speak directly to Pokémon, this has disgusted you and upset you in the past.

Hop and his family are all vegetarians for the same reason you refuse to eat Pokémon – they just can’t stand the idea of eating creatures they care about so much. It makes you feel hypocritical, as you ate meat at home without batting an eye, but here? You feel like vomiting at just the idea of eating one of these precious creatures.

The menu is full of seafood dishes, of course. You and Hop share a look over the tops of your menus, and Hop grimaces. Your eyes madly scan the menu for anything without Pokémon in it. Up until this point, it hasn’t been hard to find things without Pokémon in them in menus at restaurants. Most had many dishes without. There are only two dishes here without Pokémon in them, and Hop points both of them out to you.

Through communicating quietly and through your eyes and with gestures, you and Hop agree to each order one of the dishes without Pokémon in it, and share. That way, if one of them isn’t that great, you at least both can eat the second one. “By the way, Sonia.” Rose speaks up while you and Hop are deciding this, “How is Professor Magnolia getting on? I’m quite indebted to her, you know.”

“Oh, I’m well aware.” Sonia smiles fakely at Rose. He ignores her completely and turns to you and Hop.

“She was the one who figured out how to unleash the power of Wishing Stars and use that power to Dynamax Pokémon. We would never have been able to create Dynamax Bands without her,” Rose explains to you and Hop, and the two of you nod politely.

Sonia sighs, “Yes, these two are well aware, Gran was the one to give them their Dynamax Bands, after all. She was saying there’s still so much we don’t know about Dynamaxing. It’s causing her, and I, some worry.” Sonia plays with a strand of her hair as she sets her menu down.

“I don’t like to hear that you both are worried. Whatever about?” Rose prods, and Sonia makes a frustrated noise.

“That we make use of it too liberally while knowing too little about it,” Sonia complains, a hint of ire in her voice.

“Ah, and thus why you are out researching more about the Dynamax phenomenon! I wish there was more I could do to help… Ah, I bet you might find more answers in Hammerlocke. I’d check the Vault, and the extensive library there, if I were you. I believe the key to unlocking the secrets of the Dynamax phenomenon lies in the history preserved there,” Rose concludes, and you can tell Sonia rolls her eyes at this from the way she tosses her head to the side.

“Yes, that was the plan,” Sonia divulges sarcastically.

A waitress comes by and takes your orders then, writing them all down before bowing and leaving. “Hop, I wanted to personally congratulate you on setting a new record in the Turffield Gym Mission. That’s certainly no easy feat! Especially Turffield’s, that’s the Gym Mission every Challenger attempts! Setting a record there tells me to keep my eye on you.” Rose turns to Hop when she leaves, buttering him up.

“Oh, thank you, sir. I have a lot of practice back home, so it was a piece of cake for me!” Hop boasts proudly, and Rose smiles at him.

“Yes, and you’re doing remarkably well in the Gym Challenge so far. Two fabulous victories, with a strong team by your side. I daresay you might just be the Challenger to beat!” Rose marvels, and Hop eats up his praise.

“I should hope so! I’m aiming to take Lee down, after all!” Hop proclaims with a wide grin, and you can’t help but smile at him, as uncomfortable as you are here in this situation.

“Yes, quite the talented lot, your family. I can’t wait to see that battle! I’m sure the whole world will tune in to watch two brothers battle it out for the Champion title! Ah, what a match that will be!” Rose’s compliments are going straight to Hop’s head, you can tell from the stupidly wide grin on his face.

The waitress returns with your drinks, and Rose continues to speak with Hop about his battling. “Two Champions in one family! That’s never happened in Galar before! We’ll be the first! A legendary family!” Hop is going on now, and Rose encourages it with a soft smile.

“Hmm, I’m sure your mother will be so proud. Kieran, what about your family? Are they cheering for you in the Gym Challenge?” Rose turns to you with this knowing look, and you don’t like it.

What do you tell him, though? The truth? Or do you lie because it would be easier? “Uh, well, I lost contact with my family a while back, so they don’t know, I don’t think.” Partial truths, you decide to stick with.

“Lost contact? I’m sorry to hear that. Where are you from?” Rose asks, and Hop’s eyes go wide.

You don’t remember where Leon told you to tell people you were from. Unova, yes, but you don’t remember the name of the city. “I’m from Unova, sir.” The lie brings that terrible smile to your face, but hopefully it’ll just read as polite in this situation.

“Unova? Where about in Unova? Your accent sounds different.” Hop bites his lip at Rose’s words, and even Sonia flashes you a look.

“I’m from the capital city.” You think you remember it being the capital, but you don’t remember the name of it off the top of your head. You’re from _a_ city where you’re from, so it’s not a total lie, and you look to Hop desperately for help.

“That’s right, you told me you were from Castelia,” Hop pipes up to cover for you, and you’re relieved he’s got your back.

“Castelia, is that right? Biggest city in the world, yet you end up in Postwick of all places.” Rose sounds like he’s accusing you of something, it makes a shiver run down your spine.

“Well, I spent a lot of summers out on the family farm outside the city. When I came here, I wanted that kind of peaceful, quiet life that only comes from a small farming town.” Once again, it’s not a total lie, you’re weaving some truth in there. It helps to tell a bit of the truth, your smile is controllable then.

“What made you want to come to Galar to begin with? It’s such a dangerous journey to make, to cross the Weather Wall.” Hop gives you a look that tells you he has no answers for this, and you force yourself to laugh.

“Well, funny story, that. It was a complete accident! Would love to tell you the whole story, but I was pretty drunk, I have no idea how I ended up on that ship! Then I was on my way here. The whole thing was all a big mistake, but I don’t regret the fresh start.” This is a total lie, so it has your face split in that awful grin once more. You try to make it feel less fake and more genuine, like you really are happy you made this fake drunken mistake, but you’re not sure how successful you are.

Rose raises his eyebrows at you, and gives a small chortle. “My, what an interesting individual. I’ve been wondering what made Leon decide to endorse you for this, but I think I’m beginning to see! I look forward to seeing how far you’ll go.” Rose’s smile seems as genuine as his smile was for Hop, which is to say either totally genuine or completely fucking fake. You want to side with fake, given everything you know about him, but it does feel nice to have that warm smile turned on you.

Your food arrives then, and conversation turns back to Sonia’s research. It’s really beginning to feel like Rose is trying to figure something out from Sonia, and she’s having none of it. All of her answers are vague or dodge the question completely. If Rose really is only looking to see how he can make money off her research, he sure is determined about it.

The food is delicious, as it should be given its price tag. You and Hop share your two meals between the two of you. Someone comes to collect your Pokémon, telling you they’ll be fed in the back, and you reluctantly hand over your Pokéballs. You hope Raboot doesn’t freak out too much when you aren’t there.

“My, you two sure are close, aren’t you?” Rose remarks to you and Hop as he watches you share food. A blush paints Hop’s face as he pulls back and sits ramrod straight in his chair.

“We’re best friends.” You see no reason to hide this fact, so you state it naturally. Something flicks across Hop’s face, before he’s smiling and nodding.

“That’s right, and we’re doing the whole Gym Challenge together. Sharing food like this is just something we do, I kind of forget sometimes.” Hop scratches the back of his head, leaning back in to eat again.

“Just friends?” Rose taunts, and you want to glare at him but think better of it.

You don’t answer him, but you notice Hop doesn’t either. Sonia’s phone goes off, and that distracts everyone. You’re relieved that conversation is dropped; Rose resumes pestering Sonia after that.

“Chairman, I believe it is about time we get going,” Oleana leans down to the Chairman and whispers in his ear. You’re still able to overhear it, however. It dawns on you that Oleana has stood behind Rose this entire time, and has not sat or ate at all. What kind of cruel man is Rose? Did Oleana have a choice about that?

“So soon? But I’ve hardly had a chance to talk with Hop and Kieran! It’s regrettable, but I suppose it can’t be helped. If something needs to get done, there’s no time like the present, after all! In any case, I bid you all farewell!” Rose gets up then, and Oleana follows him out of the restaurant. They leave out a back door, likely to avoid the crowds that have gathered around the front, and you’re left alone to have a fancy dinner with Sonia and Hop.

As soon as Rose is gone, Sonia sighs dramatically and collapses forward. “By Arceus, now I see what Gran meant! No wonder she coached me so much for this…”

“You ok, Sonia?” Hop asks, poking her arm with his fork. She waves her arm at him to try to dispel him, but it doesn’t seem to have any effect on stopping him.

“No! Ugh, what a nightmare of a man! Can you believe him? He wants to completely own everything to do with Dynamaxing, I swear. Everything was all about what he’s done and how Gran’s helped him. Gag me! Gran would have done all of that on her own if it wasn’t for him sweeping in and buying up everything he could. He loves to claim he’s the one who’s done everything, when he really just buys those that do. And then he’s all, ‘Oh what can I do to help?’” Sonia makes a horrible imitation of his voice, “and offers the Vault? Like that wasn’t already in my plans? What a bloody wanker.”

“You really don’t like him, do you?” You ask, and Sonia sits up and groans.

“No! Especially not after what I learned from Gran today… But nevermind that. He’s gone now. Let’s just enjoy our food.” Sonia turns back to her meal and digs in. You and Hop share a look and shrug, going back to your food as well.

Someone comes out with Raboot after a bit, complaining that they can’t keep him under control. “You really need to train your Pokémon better. He doesn’t listen to anyone!” The man complains, and you glare at him.

“He was just scared! And you were yelling at him!” You can tell what all went down quickly through the bond, as Raboot walks you through it. “He didn’t know where I was and was frightened! All you had to do was tell him I was out here and he would have calmed right down.” You lecture the man, and he shakes his head at you.

“If you trained him better, that wouldn’t be an issue,” he counters, and you’re about to speak up, but Hop has your back.

“Hey! He is very well trained! You need to train your staff better on how to deal with Pokémon! If none of you could tell what was wrong with him, then the issue is on your staff, not on Raboot!” Hop argues on your behalf, and you quietly thank him.

The man offers a half-hearted apology after that, and you know it’s because he’s mad that Raboot wrecked some of his kitchen. You share as much with Hop and Sonia when he leaves.

Sonia snickers, “Serves him right then! That’s what happens when you corner a scared Pokémon. They should have come and got you the moment they noticed something was wrong with Raboot.” Sonia shakes her head at their stupidity.

Raboot sits with you calmly the rest of dinner and through dessert. Which, since it’s on Rose’s tab, of course the three of you decide to order dessert. When you’re all done, your Pokémon are brought back out to you, and you thank the staff for the meal on your way out.

The crowd around the entrance is gone now. Your leg hurts so much. The pain meds have worn off completely by this point, and the whole reason you don’t stay at the restaurant longer is because you are in too much pain. Sonia splits off from you to go find Nessa to further vent, and Hop leads you off to the Center.

The doctor has gone home for the night, but a nurse tells you she’s coming in to see you and will be a few hours. You’re set up in a room and given more pain meds through an IV while you wait, and Hop comes and sits with you. The two of you talk idly until she shows up, to take your mind off the pain and the worry about what she’s going to say.

You’re so glad Hop falls asleep before she shows up. Her quiet lecture to you goes unheard by Hop as he softly snores through the whole thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually lost to Nessa in my Shield replay-through with just Raboot and Corvisquire lol. I was pretty under leveled from skipping every trainer I could. I actually lost to that last hit of Max Geyser cuz Nessa’s Water Rock type Pokémon doesn’t actually know any Rock moves in game lmao way to go Nessa. Still killed me. Thanks babe. Knew I shoulda healed. I wrote the fight with her originally while I played, and the battle was 1000 words shorter and boring as fuck.
> 
> Then I came up with this mess hahaha reader just cannot catch a fucking break.
> 
> Also, ROSE SAYS ‘Ah’ SO MUCH IN DIALOUGE YOU REALLY DON’T NOTICE IT UNTIL YOU CATCH YOURSELF SAYING ‘again?’ AS YOU WRITE IT OUT ANOTHER TIME WHEN COPYING HIS DIALOUGE FROM IN GAME. Like he’s so creepy ghreaghreg please tell me I’m not the only one who got major bad creepy vibes from him while playing.
> 
> Also did anyone else find it weird how in the restaurant scene, there’s a fourth empty chair, but Oleana just stands behind Rose the whole time? And doesn’t join you? Also he leaves before even getting food what kind of dinner? After waiting for you to get your badge anyways? Listen I have so many questions, NOTHING ROSE DOES MAKES ANY SENSE. LITERALLY NOTHING.


	31. Interlude Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg thank you so much for all the comments guys you made me cry I appreciate it so much. I can't believe how many of you there are still reading this. I'm so happy I hope I continue to entertain you all!
> 
> Thank you to my betas, Audzilla28 and Ember564
> 
> This is my favourite Interlude so far. It's Chapter length. I'm so very proud of it, even if it got away on me a bit.
> 
> CW in the Leon/Raihan one (4th one) there's like almost sex.

**Milo:** (I got in trouble)

(For what?): **You**

 **Milo:** (I shouldn’t have helped Kieran when she fell over)

Sonia bites her lip. He really shouldn’t have, but when she turns and looks at the girl who can barely walk as Hop supports her, she’s also glad he did.

(How much trouble are you in?): **You**

 **Milo:** (The kind that has Rose coming here)

Sonia clenches her teeth and squeezes her eyes shut until the sting of tears about to fall fades. She worries for her friend, she doesn’t know exactly what her friends mean when they say stuff like this, but she knows it’s bad. Rose is not a kind man, she hopes Milo will be ok.

(You really shouldn’t have helped her): **You**

 **Milo:** (She couldn’t even stand! I don’t regret it. Rose’s rules hurt too many people)

 **Milo:** (You were the one who asked me to go easy on her)

(I didn’t mean break Rose’s rules!): **You**

 **Milo:** (Is she ok?)

Sonia wants to face-palm, but resists. She sighs deeply – her friend is far too kind for his own good. He gets in often gets in trouble for helping out the Gym Challengers; this is a yearly thing. It doesn’t get easier to hear, rather, it only gets harder for Sonia to hear annually, again and again. The more she learns about Rose, the more she fears for her friends. That man is bad news – she’s not sure how – and everyone keeps telling her to stay away.

 **Milo:** (Sonia?)

Sonia shakes her head as her phone buzzes again. She pulls herself out of her thoughts and taps out a reply.

(I don’t know. Hop is helping her walk, we’re on the way to the Center): **You**

 **Milo:** (Can you call me when you have a moment?)

That worries Sonia. She looks down to her two companions walking next to her. She doesn’t want to ditch them, she’s worried about Kieran too.

(When we get to the Center, I’ll call, is that ok?): **You**

 **Milo:** (Yes, thank you)

 **Milo:** (I think Nessa is in a battle, she’s not picking up)

(If you get a hold of her before me, let me know?): **You**

 **Milo:** (Of course)

Sonia stares at her phone, unsure what else to say, until they get to the Center. As Hop helps his friend to the front desk, Sonia lets them know she’ll catch up with them in a bit, and walks off to finally call her friend and find out what’s going on.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“I thought I might find you here,” Sonia pipes up as she leans against the railing next to Nessa.

“Mmm, I only had one Gym Challenger today, so now I’m free for the day. Getting some fishing in while it’s still quiet. You think it’s already slowing down? There weren’t as many Challengers this year.” Nessa flings her rod out over the railing, and slowly starts reeling it in when it hits the water.

“I doubt it, it usually doesn’t slow down for you for at least another week, right?” Sonia watches her friend with idle curiosity, as she reels in nothing once again.

“True, I’m sure another wave is coming. At least today is quiet. What are you doing out in Hulbury, anyways? You never mentioned in your text.” Nessa gives Sonia a quick raise of her eyebrow before casting the line back out once more.

“Ugh, Rose wants to have dinner with me to discuss how my research is going. Gran’s already called me and coached me through what I should and shouldn’t say. After what I heard from her… I hate the man, Nessa. How am I supposed to go have dinner with him? He’s horrible!” Sonia cries out, and Nessa remains quiet.

“He really is,” Nessa sighs after a long pause, letting her line sit in the water as she gazes intently out to the horizon.

“You would know better than I about that, too.” Sonia gives her friend a sympathetic glance, but Nessa is still staring out at the sea.

“Don’t get on his bad side, Sonia. Be careful.” Nessa finally looks to her friend, concern and fear darkening her eyes, like stormy clouds rolling in over a harbor.

Sonia nods, and there’s an awkward silence for a while before Sonia continues. “Oh, there was another reason I wanted to talk to you.”

Nessa blinks and throws the line back out into the ocean. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“You know that Gym Challenger, Kieran? She’s becoming a closer friend to me now, and I worry about her in the Gym Challenge…” Sonia begins, twirling her hair around her finger.

“She’s the injured one, no?” Nessa asks without looking towards Sonia, focused on her line.

“Yes, she is. And I was hoping that maybe… You might take it easy on her.” Sonia pushes her fingers together timidly as Nessa whirls around.

“What?! Are you serious?! You’re asking me to throw a match just because she’s your mate now? Sonia… How could you? You know I can’t do that!” Nessa screeches, and Sonia throws up her hands placatingly.

“Ah, no, you’re getting the wrong idea… I just meant don’t push her too hard, you know? I really don’t want to see her injury get worse,” Sonia explains, but Nessa just shakes her head.

“I really can’t do that, Sonia. Rose has already got his eye on me after that stunt I pulled in All-Stars, and you _know_ he’s going to be analyzing her matches more _because_ she’s injured. I cannot afford to risk going easy on her. I’m sorry Sonia, but I need to cover my own arse first,” Nessa admits, and Sonia can only cross her arms and sigh.

Now that she knows more about Rose, she shudders at the idea of what Rose might do to Nessa. She knows Milo got punished for helping Kieran, and she knows Nessa would need to be careful. “But all you have to do is _not_ chase her around the pitch, like you like to do. _Please,_ Nessa!” Sonia begs, and Nessa shakes her head.

“You _know_ what happened to Milo! My answer is no, Sonia! If anything, I’m going to push her _harder_ than I normally would, just because Rose is watching!” Nessa argues, throwing her head over her shoulder to glare at Sonia.

“You’re going to hurt her!” Sonia tries to grab Nessa’s arm for emphasis, but Nessa only glares at her again, lips twisting into a scowl.

“My answer is not changing, Sonia. If doing the Gym Challenge is going to hurt her, she should quit.” Nessa turns back to the ocean with a finality to her tone.

Sonia’s eyes flash, and she’s about to argue further when she spots the very Trainer they were talking about coming down the lane with Hop. “Well we can’t talk about it more anyways,” Sonia mutters quietly to Nessa, before waving at her friends. Nessa looks over her shoulder to see the two Trainers approach. “Oh, wow, speaking of,” Sonia raises her voice as they get close.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“You’re sure this is the area,” Piers deadpans, tiredly scanning around for this strong Pokémon they were hunting for.

“I’m not as bad at directions as Leon is, you hoser. I know where we are. And yes, but these Pokémon are rare. Leon spent a bunch of time out here with Sonia, and only found one.” Raihan explains with a flick of his wrist.

“And why are we catchin’ your boyfriend’s Pokémon for him again,” Piers asks just as emotionlessly as before.

“Because he’ll be so impressed, he’ll let me top for once!” Raihan barks out a laugh, and Piers rolls his eyes.

“I let you top and you don’t catch _me_ Pokémon.” Piers shoves against Raihan, and Raihan only laughs more.

“Aww, babe, want me to catch you a Pokémon?” Raihan teases, throwing an arm around Piers, and Piers smacks the arm away from him.

“Sod off you fuckin’ hoe.” Raihan doesn’t seem bothered in the slightest, changing his tactics and going after Piers’ waist instead as he complains. He wraps the man up, and this time Piers doesn’t swat him away.

“Nah, can’t leave you alone out here, you might die on me.” Raihan grins at his friend, causing the smaller man to roll his eyes again.

“That was _one time-_ ” Piers begins, but Raihan shushes him.

“You hear that?” Raihan whispers, and Piers shakes his head. He tries to listen for whatever Raihan is hearing, but his hearing isn’t nearly as good as the Dragon-tamer’s. Years of concerts and loud music have ruined his hearing, which is why he relies so much on Raihan out here in the Wild Area.

He hates the Wild Area, he wouldn’t be here unless he had to. After nearly losing his top 16 spot last year, Piers needs to train harder this year. Raihan always made a good training partner, they’ve been training together since doing the Gym Challenge together all those years ago. He trusts Raihan to take care of him out here, because he’s useless at caring for himself. It wasn’t just one time Piers has had something bad happen to him out here, even with Raihan around to save him, as much as he likes to pretend otherwise.

Raihan gestures for Piers to follow him as he slowly walks through the grass towards where he heard the noise. He’s got a Pokéball out in his hand, ready to go, and Piers grabs a fistful of Raihan’s jacket to keep himself steady as he follows him. It’s only an Oddish, however, not the Sobble or Grookey that they were looking for.

“This would be easier if I knew what either of them sounded like. I thought this could be it.” Raihan sighs, slumping in defeat. He takes a picture of the Pokémon anyways, and begins drafting a post in PokéSnap for when he has a connection again.

“We gonna set up camp then? It’s getting’ late,” Piers interrupts Raihan as he fiddles with filters on the photo.

“Sure, if you want. I’m not tired, I could go a ways more, but if you’re ready to rest, we can stop here.” Raihan drops his teasing tone, making his offer kindly.

They set up camp, as Piers has never had the stamina Raihan has. Raihan and his Pokémon get a massive fire going as Piers prepares dinner for them. The two men cuddle around the fire, bantering for a while until the sun sets.

The two spend the next few days hunting down different areas Grookey and Sobble have been seen. They battle often, against each other and whatever wild Pokémon they can find. “I see how Leon only found one, why does he even want these rare Pokémon? Doesn’t the bloke have enough of ‘em?” Piers complains, knocking a clump of mud from his boot against a tree.

“It’s for Hop, apparently. He wants to give him his choice of a strong Pokémon to take on the Gym Challenge with or something. Hey, isn’t Marnie going to do the Gym Challenge this year too?” Raihan pushes a branch out of the way of his face, and as it swings back into place when Raihan lets it go, it smacks Piers in the face.

“Ow! You fuckin’ arsehole! That hurt!” Piers kicks Raihan’s leg, not very hard, he doesn’t want to lose balance and fall over. Raihan only chuckles though, trying to hide his grin behind his hand.

“Sorry,” he offers, but it feels empty with his dumb grin taking up half his face. Piers only glares at the man.

“Yeah, Marnie’s well enough this year, so she said she’s goin’. I’m still worried, but Team Yell’ll keep an eye on her,” Piers explains in answer to Raihan’s earlier question. “I want to get her a Dynamax band. It’ll help her out.”

“See, you understand wanting to get your little sibling something for the Gym Challenge. You’re both in the same boat, eh? Hop’s been putting it off cuz he’s scared though, not cuz he’s poorly.” Raihan throws an arm around Piers, and Piers groans with a roll of his eyes.

“Can you ask him for me?” Piers tries to give Raihan his best Tearful Look, and Raihan scoffs.

“Oh come off it. Tell you what, you find one of those Pokémon, and I will.” Raihan decides, and Piers raises an eyebrow.

“How will I find one before you when we’re travelling together?” Piers crosses his arms and looks to Raihan.

“I meant together, dickhead. Just help instead of be a pain in my arse, yeah?” Raihan gives Piers a knowing smile, and Piers rolls his eyes again. “They’re gonna get st-”

“Stuck, yes, so funny Raihan, ha ha.” Piers snorts, shoving at Raihan as he passes.

“Always the sarcasm with you.” Raihan shakes his head, but grabs Piers’ hand as he passes. Piers doesn’t pull his away, letting Raihan hold his hand.

They continue like this for a while, walking alongside a river as they scan for the rare Pokémon. Piers almost overlooks a bluish rock, before double-taking. Rocks didn’t typically have yellow fins. He pulls out his Rotom-phone and looks up pictures of the Pokémon they’re hunting for.

Raihan notices that Piers has stopped moving by the tug on his hand, and turns back around to see what he’s doing. When he sees the man looking at the photos on his phone, then out to the river, Raihan squints to try to see what Piers might be looking for.

Then he spots the curled up, sun-bathing Pokémon. He grins widely at Piers, walking quietly next to him. “Ok, guess I owe you a Dynamax Band, babe.” Raihan squeezes at Piers’ ass and then continues walking forward.

Piers would retaliate, but he doesn’t want to spook the Pokémon they’re trying to catch. It’s taken them this long to find one, after all. Piers was beginning to think they wouldn’t find one at all. Raihan lets out his Goodra when he gets close, and the Sobble wakes up with a start.

He tries to flee into the river, but Goodra beats him there and scoops the Pokémon into her arms. The Sobble stops struggling when he realizes that the Pokémon holding him means no harm. “Looks like he’s calming down, what’s the plan?” Piers asks, bringing Obstagoon out in case help is needed.

“Now I try to convince the little guy to come with me.” Raihan digs in his bag, pulling out some treats. He feeds the Sobble, and gently pets him when he lets Raihan do so. “Well aren’t you just the sweetest? How would you like to come with us? There’s more yummy treats for you where that came from, and I have someone very important to me who will love you very much,” Raihan asks, and Goodra loosens her grip on the Sobble.

Raihan holds open his arms, giving Sobble the choice to climb into Raihan’s arms, or jump down and flee. The Sobble carefully reaches out towards Raihan, then crawls up his arm. Piers smiles as Raihan moves to cuddle the small Pokémon.

“Now do we get to go home?” Piers asks tiredly.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“Ok, I don’t trust you with setting up the tent _or_ with making dinner. So which one are you less likely to fuck up?” Raihan tosses his bag down in a clearing with the intent to set up camp here for the night.

“Likely the tent,” Leon replies, and begins digging the tent out of his bag.

Raihan lets all his Pokémon out, and Leon follows suit. “Flygon, Duraludon, please help Leon set up the tent. Otherwise he’ll destroy it,” Raihan calls out as he begins digging out the supplies for dinner.

“Hey! I will not destroy it! At worst, it just won’t get set up!” Leon complains as Charizard begins doing the actual work of setting up the tent. Leon mostly stands back and watches, occasionally directing the Pokémon or holding a pole steady. Raihan grins while watching his boyfriend try to be useful.

“You really only have two talents. Looking pretty and battling,” Raihan shoots off while he’s stirring the food.

“I take offence to that! I’m damn good at organizing tournaments too!” Leon challenges, and Raihan howls with laughter.

“That doesn’t really help your case, love!” Raihan gets out while wiping tears from his eyes.

“I have other talents too,” Leon whines as he sits down beside Raihan. The tent is pretty much set up at this point, the Pokémon know well enough what they’re doing. This is always how things go when the two of them go camping together.

Raihan grins at his partner, knocking Leon’s side with his elbow. “Of course you do, babe,” he teases sarcastically, and Leon only groans. “So the plan is to stay out here until we find a Grookey, yeah?” Raihan asks as he spoons food into bowls for everyone.

“What? No, we’re doing a full sweep of the Wild Area. We’re out here the full two weeks, whether we find a Grookey or not.” Leon furrows his brows as he explains, and Raihan balks.

“Whoa whoa whoa, you said ‘to find a Grookey’ in the text. Here, I’ll even pull it up to show you.” Raihan scrambles to pull out his Rotom-phone and unlock it.

“Did you not read the whole thing?” Amusement dances in Leon’s eyes as Raihan pulls up the text.

“Of course I did! See it says- oh.” Raihan deflates at once, and Leon lets out a loud laugh, clapping Raihan hard on the back.

“I packed extra. After this happened last time we did a sweep, I learned my lesson,” Leon teases, and Raihan groans.

“Come off it, I’m not _that_ bad at this!” Raihan shakes his head, and Leon wraps his arms around him.

“At least you’re pretty.” He wears a shit eating grin as Raihan shoves him.

“How dare you turn my own insult against me!” Raihan wears a smile despite his harsh tone.

The two men finish dinner the same way they started – bantering and teasing each other. As they’re cleaning up, Raihan turns to Leon. “You really think these Pokémon are going to make Hop want to go do the Gym Challenge this year?”

“I hope so, Rai. He can do it, I know he can. But he’s so afraid he can’t do it, he won’t even try. He’ll never admit that, though. He’ll just make up another excuse. But I’m going to push him this year. I want to see him succeed.” Leon has a sad look in his amber eyes as he meets the teal gaze on him.

Raihan smiles. “What if he actually ends up dethroning you like he keeps bragging he’ll do?”

Leon chuckles lightly. “I wouldn’t mind in the slightest. It’d be nice to have something to work towards again. Of course, losing would sting at first, but I’d be more chuffed than gutted.” Leon sighs and look up at the darkening sky.

“He has a long way to go still, if he wants to beat you.” Raihan wraps his arms around his partner and pulls him back to the fire. They’ve mostly finished cleaning up, they can leave the rest for the morning.

Leon lets himself be pulled back to the fire, cuddling with his boyfriend. “That’s exactly why he’s so afraid. But every year he waits, it’s only going to be harder for him. Which is exactly why I’m going to push him to go this year.”

“He knows a lot about battling, he’s going to be really good once he actually tries. Can’t wait to take him on in the Gym Challenge.” Raihan leans in and kisses the man in his arms on the cheek.

“I know. I want to battle him, too.” Leon leans back, resting his head against the Dragon-Leader’s chest. “This is nice.”

Raihan hums in agreement, rubbing Leon’s back with one of his hands. “Want to just cuddle here for a while before bed then?” Raihan asks as he looks down at his partner snuggled into his chest.

Leon only nods, closing his eyes as he lets Raihan adjust the two into a more comfortable position. Eventually, Leon ends up in Raihan’s lap as they stare up at the stars through the cracks in the trees. Leon teasingly grinds his ass down into Raihan, and earns a gasp from him.

“I thought you wanted some innocent cuddling time under the stars?” Raihan raises an eyebrow at his partner, and Leon turns in his lap, capturing Raihan’s lips in a kiss.

It quickly turns heated as Raihan slips his tongue into Leon’s mouth. The two men pull away for air, and mirth dances in Leon’s eyes.

“I changed my mind.” Leon dives in for another kiss, straddling the Dragon-tamer to get better access to his mouth.

Leon grinds down hard into Raihan, and the taller man moans into Leon’s mouth. Raihan bucks his hips up into his partner, and Leon grunts.

It’s not the sound Raihan’s expecting, but then Leon pulls away suddenly, rubbing the back of his head. “Everything alright?” Raihan asks, running his hands up and down Leon’s sides while he waits for the purple haired man to be ready to continue.

“No, something hit my head pretty hard.” Leon looks away, trying to spot what hit him.

Raihan looks up, trying to see if there’s anything up in the trees. As the branches sway, Raihan realizes there’s a Pokémon up there. He taps Leon’s arm and points up, and Leon looks to where he’s pointing.

Neither man can make out what Pokémon is playing up in the branches, chittering away like it was laughing at them. Leon looks over to Charizard, and makes a gesture towards one of the trees. Charizard picks up on the queue immediately, and head-butts a nearby tree.

The action causes the branches to shake, but the Pokémon doesn’t fall. Something falls and hits Raihan in the head this time. “Ow, fuck, little shit’s gonna pay!” Raihan curses, picking up a rock and tossing it up towards the branches. It clearly whiffs, and there’s more chittering as the Pokémon laughs at them.

The two men stand, and Raihan calls over Flygon as Charizard takes off to see what’s up in the branches. Charizard roars when he comes face to face with the Pokémon, and Raihan and Flygon wait beneath the branch to see where he tries to move.

Charizard’s loud roar seems to have scared the Pokémon, as it loses balance and falls onto Raihan. The Pokémon is quite a bit bigger and heavier than the berries it had been dropping on their heads, so the action causes the Gym Leader to fall over.

Now it’s Leon’s turn to laugh, but he quickly gasps when he realizes what Pokémon it is. “Rai, don’t move,” Leon instructs, and Raihan lays still. He can’t see what Pokémon it is, but Leon wouldn’t tell him to lay still for no reason.

“What is it?” Raihan asks from his position with his face basically in the dirt.

“A Grookey,” Leon says as the Pokémon charges at Charizard. He slams his body repeatedly into Charizard, and Raihan gets up when he feels the Pokémon get off his back. Leon and Raihan watch with amusement as the Grookey tries to fight Charizard.

“Well this one isn’t as scared as that Sobble was,” Raihan remarks as Leon pulls out an empty Pokéball.

“Oh yeah, he’s got some fight in him!” Leon wears a wide grin as Raihan comes to stand beside him. Eventually, the Grookey seems to tire himself out, and he collapses in a heap in front of Charizard. As soon as he’s down, Leon tosses the Pokéball at him. It wiggles for a while, before the light turns green and it stops shaking.

“Alright! That’s all three!” Leon picks up the Pokéball and strikes his famous Charizard pose.

“Ok, make me eat my words, why don’t you. You win the bet. Tell me, Champion, what is my fate?” Raihan throws an arm dramatically over his face as he teases.

Leon shakes his head. “You’re the one who has to do that fundraiser now, that was the deal.”

Raihan wails, “Noooo, anything but that! I hate having to brownnose with those toffs!”

“And you think I like it?” Leon raises an eyebrow at Raihan as he lets his new Pokémon out of his Pokéball.

Raihan continues grumbling about it for the rest of their two week trip.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“Good morning, ready to hear more about your past today?” The man asks as he closes the door behind him.

The girl nods. “I have a few questions first, if you don’t mind.” She folds her hands politely on her lap as the man takes a seat in the comfy armchair.

“Well, if the answers are ahead in the story, I’m not going to spoil anything,” the man laughs, getting himself comfortable in the chair by throwing both his legs over one armrest and leaning back against the other.

The girl frowns, but asks anyways. “Who’s the father of my son?”

“That’s spoilers,” the man wags his finger, and the girl pouts.

“Fine. I’ve been having strange dreams, and now that you’ve told me a bit about my past, I’m beginning to recognize things. I see Hop and Leon in them. I’m dancing with Leon, then I’m getting crowned with Hop, then Hop gets hurt by a large Pokémon… Then I get knocked over, and there’s a man on top of me.” She takes a deep, shuddering breath. “Are they… Do they mean anything?”

The man sighs, his face falling. “Yes, unfortunately they do. It’s not anything I’ll be getting to today, however. You’ll have to be patient.” The girl frowns further at this.

“But… They’re terrifying! If you told me, it wouldn’t be as scary,” she pesters, but the man just shakes his head.

“I’m afraid not, it would only confuse you more. Just let me tell you how things go in order, alright?” He sits up in his chair, looking her directly in the eyes.

“Ok, you told me yesterday people didn’t know about me. Does that mean people think I’m dead? What did you mean by that?” The girl scratches at her arms uncomfortably.

“Yes and no… It’s complicated.” The man’s lips pull into a line.

“What?” She sounds exasperated at this point.

The man scratches his short beard while he thinks on how to word things. He speaks slowly as a result. “Well… To certain people, no. But to the public, yes, they think you’re dead. Some think you’re still missing, as you are ‘Missing Declared Dead’, after all.”

“What? You’re so infuriating. Certain people, missing and declared dead, what do you mean?” The girl crosses her arms and huffs.

“Here,” the man undoes the Dynamax Band around his wrist and tosses it to her.

Catching it, she examines the band up close. Most of it is stained a dark red, and the girl realizes that it’s blood. It’s old, judging by the fading of the stain. The face of the band is clear, but the fabric around the rest holds the history of what it has seen.

“It was yours.” The man explains after she’s had a moment to examine it.

“Mine?” She remembers him speaking about her having a Dynamax Band in the past. “Why is it like this?”

“You were attacked by a Pokémon, that’s the _very end_ of the story though. Happy with your answers?” The man gestures for her to toss the band back to him.

“Why do you have my Dynamax Band?” She does, she tosses it back, but she’s curious. “Is it because you have my memories?”

“That’s right.” The man nods, attaching the band back to his wrist.

“Wait, when you mean certain people, you mean the people who were once close to me, don’t you?” Her eyebrows furrow accusingly at him.

“Yes, that’s right.” He sighs, adjusting in the chair.

“Does that mean people think you’re me?” She means it to come out more aggressively than the squeak that leaves her lips.

“Well, yes and no…” His lips pull in a line again and he shrugs.

“Stop it! Explain!” Her voice is steady this time, and the man holds up his hands in surrender.

“Alright! The people who you were close to think I’m you, yes, but they’re aware I’m not _really_ you. They do treat me as such, though. To the rest of the world? No, I’m not you. I’m a completely different person. I’m Victor,” The man relents, sagging into the chair further. “Any other questions? Or can I get back to telling you how things happened _in order_?”

“Fine. Just tell me more about my past, then.” She grumbles, slumping back against her bed.

“Gladly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok is the texting stuff better yet? Idk help me guys I don't know how to format this shit.
> 
> My goal now is to have a Leon/Raihan scene and a Raihan/Piers scene in each Interlude. Gotta earn those relationship tags, after all. Also gotta check in on our hospital fam. I can say that and mean it multiple ways ahahaha who _is_ the father?
> 
> I had fun exploring Sonia’s friendships too, I love Sonia. I wish she had more of a personality in game. It's also fun looking at Nessa and Milo's perspectives of why they did what they did. I just really like all the characters so much and want to spend so much time with all of them fdsaghfrghrie
> 
> I added to this like 5 times before I was satisfied too I just had ideas man. If the next one isn't as long as this come bully me about it.
> 
> I edited this on July 10th and changed a few things in the first two parts, mostly grammar stuff.


	32. Chapter Twenty-Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my betas, Audzilla28 and Ember564
> 
> And thank you to FlorescenceSky for leaving a comment on like every chapter ilu bb <3 you remind me this is worth it.
> 
> I'm so tired guys, I'm moving back in with my parents, it's so much work. Living is so expensive.

You tell Hop you’re ready to head to Motostoke the next morning. “That’s great to hear, mate!” He cheers, helping you get ready to check out of the Center. Even though you’re in a lot of pain today, you really don’t want to waste the time here resting. You know you shouldn’t do it, you should stay here and rest, you’re not at all ready to head to Motostoke. Yet the grin that splits your face when you lie once again only aids you in selling the lie to Hop.

“You going to ditch me somewhere while you go do all the shopping for us again?” You tease Hop, butting him with your shoulder as the two of you walk past some vendor stalls. Hop leads you to a picnic table, and gets you to sit down there.

“Yep, you stay here and watch the Pokémon, ok? I’ll go get us everything we’ll need to make it back to Motostoke.” Hop pats your shoulder before dashing off, not even giving you a chance to complain. He leaves you with all but his trusty Wooloo for you to watch over, and you let the Pokémon play around your feet. You try to keep them out of the way of others, but they do have a lot of energy today.

Hop comes and sits with you when he’s finished getting all the supplies. You go through everything while Hop maps out the best route back to Motostoke from Hulbury. “We could do the mines again, it’s another shortcut. I imagine they’ll be much like the mines in the west, so I’d probably have to carry you through most of it,” Hop suggests with a smile. He looks too happy about having to carry you again, but you’re not about to complain either.

“Sounds like a plan, then. If that’s the fastest way, let’s do that.” You begin putting everything back in your bags once you’ve finished, and Hop nods to you.

“Great! We can probably make it to the mines today. I think.” Hop helps you finish, and then the two of you are heading out of Hulbury. You take in the lovely scent of the sea air one last time before heading through a tunnel out of the city.

Hop is partially correct, the two of you can see the mines in the distance by the time you need to set up camp for the night. “We’ll make it to them and through them tomorrow, easy peasy.” Hop grins at you while he fixes up the tent.

Sonia had given you a cookbook after you’d asked her for cooking advice. You want to make Hop and your Pokémon better tasting meals, as it’s the one thing you can really provide in assistance to this team. You flip through the pages, looking for something that looks appealing and that you have the ingredients for. A lot of it is curry, which you do thankfully have the ingredients for. Also, curry is harder to mess up, as even if you get things wrong, it can be hard to tell when everything is mixed together.

Your meal is edible, and not bad tasting. Certainly one of the better ones the two of you have made on the road, as even Hop comments that it’s better than normal. “Wow this doesn’t taste horrible! That guess I owe Sonia thanks for that cookbook,” Hop remarks as he stuffs his face.

“She’s so helpful, I really appreciate her,” you reply as you begin cleaning up. When the sun sets, you and Hop head into the tent early to try and get some extra sleep. You stare at your wound for a while as you change the bandages, thinking about the implications of the actions you’re taking.

It looks a right mess now, and it’s going to scar horribly. You’re likely to never walk normally again. “Everything ok, mate?” Hop looks over to see you just staring at your leg.

“Huh? Oh, yeah just got lost in my thoughts. Can you hand me the antibacterial cream?” You try to wipe the concerned look from his face. You don’t want him to think something serious is wrong, because it is, but you don’t want him to have to deal with that too.

Morning comes, and the two of you make it to the mines without incident. Inside is very similar to the mines on the west end of Galar, but with more water. There’s a few Water-type Pokémon around, and a lot more instances where Hop has to carry you. Some paths are completely underwater, and Hop has to wade through those with you on his back.

“Ack, it’s cold,” Hop complains as he first sets his foot in the water. Raboot watches, grimacing at Hop’s remark. Corvisquire picks him up and carries him to the other side.

“Maybe this was a bad way to come?” You offer sympathetically from up safely on Hop’s back.

“No, really?” Hop’s sarcasm doesn’t dim his smile, at least, as he chuckles humourlessly to himself. “It must have rained a bunch, I think it drains in here,” Hop tries to explain, and you hum in understanding.

“Is it normally dry in here?” You ask, and Hop shrugs. Or at least, attempts to with you on his back.

“No idea, mate. This is the first time I’ve ever been in these mines. Though I remember Kabu said he trains here because of the Pokémon here. Maybe it is always wet? Would make sense for him to be training against Water-types and Rock-types at once.” Hop makes it across pretty quick, and sets you down on the ground before flopping down beside you.

He was smart enough to roll up his pants and take off his socks, but he kept the shoes on in case there had been sharp rocks. Now, he throws his soaked shoes off, and begins rubbing his cold feet. You hand him his socks wordlessly, and he thanks you softly. You two sit there quietly while Hop warms himself up. Raboot helps, using his warmer temperature to speed up Hop’s reheating process.

“Thanks, Raboot. Man that’s cold! I’m almost tempted to turn around and go back at the thought of having to do that again. But then I’d have to do it again!” Hop frowns, putting his wet shoes back on. “I don’t have a second pair of shoes, either. Ugh!” Hop puts his socks back in his bag, keeping them off to keep them dry.

“Sorry, Hoppy…” You mumble apologetically, but Hop shakes his head.

“For what? There’s nothing to be sorry for. I picked this path, I’ll manage.” Hop gets to his feet, and helps you back up to yours. “Come on, let’s get going. We still have a ways to go.” Hop leads you further into the mines, his arm around your waist to support you once more.

The two of you head through a low tunnel into a room full of glittering rocks. It’s gorgeous, and the way the light reflects off of them mesmerizes you. However, the room is not empty. Your old pal Bede is off to the side, putting a different rock in his pocket.

“Bede? What are you doing here?” Hop throws his arms up in surprise, letting go of you in the process, and causing you to lose your balance slightly.

Bede turns around at the sound of Hop’s voice, glaring at the two of you as you walk in. “You two again…” Bede mutters as he walks towards you.

He meets you in the middle of the room. “Didn’t peg you as the rock collecting type,” you tease, and Bede glowers at you.

“I’d challenge you to a battle, but I’d feel bad making my Pokémon take part in a battle against such weak opponents.” Corvisquire and Raboot hear Bede’s insult, and are immediately offended by it. They both want a battle now, as they want to kick his ass for calling them weak. “I’m not in the mood to deal with weaklings right now.”

“The only weakling I remember was you, when I kicked your ass.” You glare back at Bede, and he puts a hand threateningly on your walker again.

“Then again, I suppose it’s a form of mercy to crush weak opponents early on.” Bede spits back, and you’d hit him if you weren’t sure he could probably punch harder than you could. “You’re under the misguided impression that you’re better than me, I suppose it’s my duty to set that straight.”

“You’d have to win a battle, first. If you watch closely, I might even show you how!” You taunt as the man walks away to make space for your battle.

“It is utterly inconceivable that I, the challenger chosen by the Chairman himself, will lose!” Bede shouts back as he pulls a Pokéball out of his pocket, and tosses it into the air in a fancy way before catching it.

“You sure you got this?” Hop asks, and you turn your glare on him.

“You doubt me?” You ask as you recall both your Pokémon as well.

“No, I’m just worried. Seems like you’re in a lot of pain today, you sure you want to do this?” Hop’s eyes are full of concern, and you feel bad for glaring at him now. Your face softens as your shoulders sag.

“Yes, I’m sure. Little shits like him need to be put in their place.” You spin back around to face Bede, and he scoffs.

“Such vulgarity is why people like you never make it far in life.” Bede tosses out his first Pokémon, his Solosis.

“Excuse me? How dare you!” You yell, angered. You toss Raboot’s ball out, and he charges in at Solosis. He dives in with Flame Charge, hitting the Solosis and knocking him back a ways.

“Psybeam!” Bede shouts, and his Solosis shoots a pink beam of energy at Raboot. He jumps out of the way just in time, and Bede blinks slowly in frustration. “Again!” Solosis tries again, but Raboot is faster. He runs in and hits Solosis with Quick Attack. Solosis bounces briefly before firing off a Psybeam, hitting Raboot. “Now use Recover!”

The Pokémon rests, healing itself. This gives Raboot a chance to run in and get Solosis with Blaze Kick. The powerful kick sends the Pokémon tumbling backwards. When Solosis doesn’t move after a moment, Bede takes a sharp intake of breath as he recalls his Pokémon.

“I’m just testing you to see how much you’ve improved.” Bede states, throwing out his next Pokémon, his Gothita. “Use Hypnosis!” His Pokémon fires off a wave of energy that would make Raboot sleep, but he’s easily able to jump over the waves and dodge the attack. Another Flame Charge knocks Gothita over, but she recovers quickly. “Charm!” Gothita makes herself look cute, and Raboot feels like going a bit easier on her.

You squeeze your hands around your walker in frustration. Raboot goes in for another Blaze Kick, but Bede is prepared this time. “Protect!” The barrier goes up just in time for Raboot’s foot to bounce harmlessly off it. Raboot doesn’t let that bother him, he just tries again. Bede growls, “Again!” But the second time Raboot’s foot connects, as Gothita’s barrier does not work two times in a row.

Gothita is barely hanging in there. “Use Psybeam now!” Bede calls out, and the beam of energy hits Raboot as Gothita prepares for him jumping out of the way and adjusts her attack accordingly. The hit sends Raboot tumbling backwards, and you wince in pain. When he gets up, he’s dizzy and disoriented.

_Dammit, he confused us again!_ You bite your lip as you push your message across the bond. You fall into your walker, and Hop is quick to catch you.

“You ok? This happened last time, too,” Hop looks concerned. He looks out at Raboot, who’s struggling to run up to Gothita, and then back to you. He seems to be getting it as Raboot tries to attack, but the kick throws him off balance and he falls over. Hop’s face changes from concern to suspicion as he watches Raboot.

“Now!” Bede shouts, and Gothita shoots another beam of pink energy at Raboot. Unable to dodge it, Raboot rolls backwards. You fall into Hop as the dizziness gets worse. Raboot is barely hanging in there. In one last attempt to beat Gothita, he runs forwards, lighting himself on fire, hoping to hit Gothita with his Flame Charge and not the wall.

The hit connects. Gothita is slammed by Raboot, and both go tumbling together in a heap. Raboot is still hanging in there, but Gothita passes out from the tumble. Hop seems to put things together as Raboot stumbles around as he gets back up. “Oh, he’s confused! So you are too!” Hop whisper-shouts in his excitement at figuring it out. You nod to Hop, trying to keep your focus on the battle as much as possible. Hop wraps you up in his arms and holds you up, so at least you don’t have to hold yourself steady anymore. “Don’t worry, mate. I got you.” His voice is right in your ear.

It sends a shiver down your spine that you ignore for now. Bede has recalled Gothita and is sending out his next Pokémon. Hatenna appears, and Bede grins. “Quick! Disarming Voice!” Bede yells. This is the same thing that got Raboot last time. He tries to dodge, and goes down, unable to dodge the unavoidable attack. You stumble as the dizziness you feel is suddenly replaced with silence, and Hop helps right you against your walker. He runs out and grabs Raboot for you, Bede raising an eyebrow at the action.

He doesn’t say anything as you toss out Corvisquire, however. As always, Corvisquire is pissed that Raboot got taken down. He cries out before diving down at Hatenna with Retaliate. It doesn’t take her down in one hit, but it certainly weakens her significantly. “Use Play Nice!” Hatenna acts cute, causing Corvisquire to suffer the same weakened state that Raboot was in earlier. You curse Bede and all his Attack-lowering moves his Pokémon know.

Corvisquire is going to finish this, though. _Use Power Trip to raise your Attack back up_ you instruct over the bond, and he quickly follows through with the command. One hit is all it takes to finish Hatenna, and Bede huffs.

“Excellent! Not everyone can corner my team like this!” He wears a small smile, and there’s a light in his eyes that reminds you of the one Hop gets when battling you. He recalls his Hatenna and tosses out another Pokémon.

You haven’t seen this one before, so you nudge Hop. “What Pokémon is that?”

“Ponyta, Psychic-type,” Hop answers, filling you in on what you need to know. You could have assumed Psychic based on all of Bede’s other Pokémon, but you don’t remember Ponyta looking like this, or being anything other than a Fire-type. “I thought you knew what Ponyta were?” He looks at you funny.

“That one looks different, I know them as Fire-types.” Bede takes advantage of your apparently distracted state to try and get a hit in on Corvisquire, but your attention is still fully on the battle. _Just use Power Trip, it’s super effective and it raises your Attack,_ is all you have to instruct Corviknight to finish this, really. Bede looks stunned as Corviknight easily dodges his Confusion attack.

“Oh, you know Kantonian Ponyta,” Hop guesses, and you nod to him.

“You aren’t even paying attention to the battle!” Bede suddenly shouts after he’s apparently got a bit fed up with you. He hasn’t been able to hit Corvisquire, but Corvisquire has landed two hits on his Ponyta. It must look like you’re just having a conversation with Hop and not paying any attention to your Pokémon to Bede, as he doesn’t know you can watch the battle through Corvisquire’s eyes. Your eyes don’t necessarily _need_ to be on the battle, but it does help your Pokémon to see the multiple perspectives in order to judge distance better.

“Don’t need to, kicking your ass.” You shoot back with a grin, and Bede snarls at you as Corvisquire lands another hit of Power Trip, knocking Ponyta out cold.

“You showed at least a little effort so I decided I should let you win!” Bede retorts, and you and Hop snort in laughter again.

“Oh we’re going with that excuse again, are we?” Hop rolls his eyes as you call out to Bede.

“Ah, pardon me. It seems I must take back my earlier words. You’re not weak – you just lack talent.” Bede almost had you for a moment, you really thought he was going to take it back.

“Lack talent? And I still beat you, wow, what does that say about you?” Your offended by what he says, so you try to turn it back on him.

Bede only rolls his eyes. “You lack any real talent. Your Pokémon may not be weak, but you aren’t going to get very far the way you are now. Your chances of completing the Gym Challenge are pretty slim, I must say.”

Hop steps in at this, anger boiling over. “She’s one of the most talented trainers I’ve ever seen! You’re only jealous of her skills!”

“Jealous? Of this?” Bede grabs your walker and tugs on it, which causes you to lose your balance. You fall to the ground, as Hop isn’t quite fast enough to catch you. You cry out in pain as you hit the hard rock floor.

“What the fuck is your problem?!” Hop steps up and tries to grab Bede by the collar, but the man just takes a step back out of the way, dodging him.

Hop just swore, holy shit. You look up at him with wide eyes. You don’t think you’ve ever seen him look this angry. He looks just as terrifying as his brother does when angry, and you’re glad that anger isn’t turned on you.

“Just stay out of my way,” Bede answers, turning and leaving to avoid Hop.

Hop turns back to you. “Are you ok, mate?!” He asks as he collapses beside you, throwing his arms out to hold you. You lean into him for a moment, still a little startled by the whole thing. “I’m… That hurt…” You tell Hop, meeting his worried hazel eyes.

“What do you need?” He asks, rubbing your back. You aren’t sure, it’s too early to take more pain meds to help, so you only shrug and lean further into Hop. He lets you rest against him for as long as you need, quietly rubbing your back while you gingerly massage your painful leg.

Eventually you’ve got the strength to continue, and Hop helps you back to your feet. “Let me carry you, yeah? You can barely stand.” Hop’s face is full of concern as your leg buckles under you when you try to put weight on it. You let him without complaint – you’re never going to get through here unless he does.

Further into the mines, you and Hop run into a group of Team Yell members. It sounds like they’re searching for something, based on the pieces of conversation you catch as you get close. “Oi, there’s Gym Challengers over there!” One yells when he spots you, and the group breaks up to all turn to look at you and Hop.

“Let’s show ‘em they should just drop out!” A woman steps forward and pulls out a Pokéball.

“Yeah, let’s get ‘em!” Another man steps forward and joins her, pulling out a Pokéball of his own.

Hop frowns, and looks at you over his shoulder. “I don’t think they’re going to let us pass without a battle.” He groans, shaking his head. “What do you want to do?”

“Let’s take them on together. We’re pretty unbeatable together, aren’t we?” You reply, looking back at Raboot and Corvisquire. They’ve both healed up from their earlier battle with Bede and are ready for more, so Hop nods.

“Yeah we are! Alright, we’ll take you guys on!” Hop has to get you off his back in order to be able to battle properly, but he at least helps hold you up so standing isn’t so painful on your leg. You send Raboot in first, and Hop throws out Wooloo. The woman tosses out a Linoone while the man sends a Thievul out.

You and Hop are doing incredibly well, even as other Team Yell members join in to try and make the fight unfair so they can win. You and Hop just send in more of your own Pokémon, your team working flawlessly from so much training and time spent together. You’ve taken down a combined total of four Trainers when another runs in from somewhere.

“What are you lot doing?! Boss said to leave that trainer be, you bumbling buffoons! You’re supposed to be working!” The man shouts, and Team Yell quickly recalls their Pokémon and disperses. You and Hop look at each other and shrug.

“What was that about?” Hop asks, and you shake your head.

“Depends which of us he was talking about, I suppose. Who knows for sure, though. But wow, that was so much fun to battle with you again! We really do make an amazing team! We were completely unbeatable! And we fought six Pokémon at once!”

Hop grins. “Thanks for your help! I couldn’t have ordered all four of my Pokémon at once without you. We’re really something else when we’re together, huh?” Hop pulls out potions for all your Pokémon, then helps you back up onto his back so the two of you can keep going.

“Aren’t you getting tired, Hoppy?” You ask, he’s been carrying you for a while. You don’t want him to get hurt, too.

“I’ll need a break soon, yeah. But I’m getting better at this!” He throws a grin at you over his shoulder, and you can’t help but laugh.

“I guess my injury is good for something! You’re gonna be as physically strong as your brother by the time the Gym Challenge is over.” You grab his bicep with one of your hands for emphasis; he really is getting stronger.

Hop makes an airy sort of laugh – it almost sounds fake – but doesn’t reply to you. Things feel awkward after that, you wonder if you took the flirting a little too far and made him uncomfortable. It remains silent until you hear someone training in a cave off to the left. “Hey, doesn’t that voice sound familiar?” Hop is the one to break the silence finally, and you nod.

It does sound familiar to you. “Yeah, but I don’t recognize who it is. Want to go check it out?” Hop nods to your question, and heads down the tunnel into the cave. Inside, you find Kabu training with his Pokémon against some wild Water Pokémon.

Kabu turns to greet you, hearing you coming before you enter the cave. “Are the two of you on the way to Motostoke now?” He jogs over to you two, his eyebrows going up as he takes in Hop carrying you, and your Pokémon behind you carrying your walker for you. He doesn’t say anything about it, however.

“Yep! We got our Water Badges, so next stop is your Gym!” Hop exclaims in excitement, and Kabu smiles.

“I had faith I’d be seeing you two at my Gym again. Well, I suppose that means I should finish up my training and get back to Motostoke, shouldn’t I? All those Team Yell goons have gone and disappeared, too. Not that they were much to train against, however.” Kabu collects his Pokémon and smiles warmly at both you and Hop.

Hop launches into a story about you and him taking out those Team Yell goons, and Kabu listens intently while he walks with you.

“Really? Using all your Pokémon at once is impressive, that’s not easily done. Thank you for chasing those hooligans out of the mines, they were getting in the way of the Pokémon and people hard at work here.” You and Hop had seen a few workers and their Pokémon as you’d been going through the mines, but mostly stayed out of their way.

“Of course! Glad we could help!” Hop eats up Kabu’s praise, and Kabu walks with you all the way to the exit of the mines. Hop continues carrying you the whole time, despite just earlier mentioning he would need a break soon. You worry about him, but there’s never a break in Hop and Kabu’s conversation for you to bring it up in a way that wouldn’t potentially embarrass Hop.

Kabu calls a Corviknight Taxi to take him back to Motostoke once he’s out of the mines – something you and Hop aren’t allowed to do. “Have a safe night, you two. See you when you make it to Motostoke.” Kabu waves briefly as he climbs into the cabin.

“Have a good flight!” Hop calls back as the Corviknight takes off.

At least it doesn’t take you and Hop long to find a suitable camping spot. It’s not very late yet, but you’re in too much pain to walk, and Hop is too sore to carry you any further.

“I forgot to stop for a break! My arms are killing me!” Hop complains as he flops to the ground. This leaves you directing the Pokémon with the tent, as Hop refuses to get back up.

“Sorry, I wanted to find a way to remind you, but I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of Kabu.” Hop has flopped beside you, so you grab one of his arms and attempt to give him a massage. Hop doesn’t pull his arm away.

“Oh, that feels kinda nice, actually,” Hop says after a moment, a blush rising on his cheeks.

“Thanks for carrying me through the mines. I’m sorry you had to.” Hop shakes his head at you.

“No, don’t do that. You don’t get to apologize for being injured, alright?” Hop gives you a stern look, and you bite your lip. It is your fault you’re this bad, though. If you’d just followed what the doctor in Motostoke had told you, and stayed there until you were healed, you wouldn’t be in this mess at all. And that is entirely on you.

“Ok,” is all you say, and silence falls over the two of you. It feels awkward to you, but you’re not sure what else to say. Hop continues letting you massage him, however. He offers to cook dinner after a while, which brings conversation flowing again as the two of you end up working together to make dinner.

It’s the best meal you’ve made yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, guys, the next 5 Chapters? Hell even the next Interlude. They’re a rollercoaster. I hope you’re strapped in, cuz it’s time for the angst tag. Yes I am that far ahead in writing.
> 
> Ah young, awkward love. These beans. I adore them.
> 
> Double battles with Hop were one of my favourite things in the game. I can’t wait for the Galarian Star Tournament thing cuz I want to battle WITH Hop again. I thought it was gonna be in the recent DLC and I was SO DISAPPOINTED WHEN IT WAS NOT.
> 
> I'm working on another story with Wolfie, a LeonxGloria with side RaihanxPiers one. Keep a look out for it if you're interested!


	33. Chapter Twenty-Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Audzilla28 and Ember546 for beta reading.
> 
> I've almost finished moving! It's so much work how did I end up with so much stuff?

It’s late the next day when you two make it into Motostoke. There isn’t time to go to the Gym, and you have to check into the Center first, anyways. As Hop begins pulling up directions to the nearest Center, you tug on his sleeve to catch his attention.

“Hmm? What’s up, mate?” He asks, turning his attention to you.

“Can we just go to the hotel tonight? I want to sleep in a real, comfortable bed. I don’t want to be in a hospital bed all night. Please?” You ask, batting your eyes at him and giving him your best wounded-puppy look.

Hop’s face softens, and he smiles at you. “Of course, mate. That sounds ace.” He tightens his arm around your waist, leading you down the lane towards the Budew Drop Inn.

“Thank you,” you whisper, leaning your head onto his shoulder.

Hop pulls out his Rotom-phone and calls his brother. “Hey Lee, we’re back in Motostoke. Yeah, we wanted to stay in the inn tonight, we’ll go to the Center tomorrow. Ok, thanks Lee! Yeah, we’ll probably see you in Hammerlocke, then. Ok, you have a good night too!” You’re only able to catch Hop’s side of the conversation, but it sounds like you’ve got a room. Hop tucks his phone back in his pocket and gives you a thumbs up with a wide grin.

The room in the inn is nice and it’s wonderful to sink into a thick mattress. Even better is the bath tub – soaking in a hot bath is exactly what you need. You have to leave your injured leg out of the water to avoid infection, but it’s lovely on the rest of your body. You wrap yourself up in warm, flannel pajamas, and sit on top of the bed while Hop enjoys his bath.

Sleep begins to claim you before Hop comes back out, so you crawl under the covers and close your eyes. You wake briefly when Hop comes to bed, his added weight jostling you slightly as he climbs in. He turns off the lights, then runs his hand through your hair as he pulls his hand back to him. He leans over you and plants a soft kiss on your forehead, before scooching down under the covers. You feel him snake an arm around you waist, and a blush burns on your cheeks before sleep finally reclaims you.

Hop insists on taking you to the Center first thing, though you do eventually convince him to stop for breakfast on the way. His stomach growls loudly when you pass a café with delicious smells coming from it, and you talk him in to stopping inside. After breakfast, Hop finally gets you to the Center.

It doesn’t take long at all to be seen, and it’s the same doctor you had before. He examines your leg with a frown, which only deepens every time he moves it and it hurts you. The more unfortunate thing is, Hop is here this time, so he naively asks, “So she’s good to do the Gym today, right?”

The doctor looks at Hop with a frown. “Absolutely not! She should not be doing the Gym Challenge at all.” Hop looks stunned, and the doctor turns back to you. “You’ve done permanent damage to it already, you’re only going to make that worse by attempting the Gym.”

“I know,” you murmur, and Hop gasps audibly. You can’t meet his eyes. This isn’t how you wanted him to find out.

The doctor sighs. “I understand you intend to do it anyways. My recommendation is no, just as your doctor in Turffield’s was, and your doctor in Hulbury. They both did mention you would ignore that.” He shakes his head. “I only hope I don’t see you back here later today.”

The doctor finishes his assessment of you, testing all your range of motion and the whole gauntlet. You’re getting used to it all at this point. When he’s finished, he leaves you and Hop alone. Hop is quiet, he’s been staring at the floor for a while now.

You bite your lip, the tension feels awkward and it doesn’t seem like Hop is going to say anything. “So, ready to go take on the Gym?” It comes out weak and pathetic, and you flinch at the sound of your own flimsy voice.

“You lied to me!” Hop suddenly looks up at you, and his brows are turned down starkly in anger. You’ve only seen him look this livid when Bede ripped the walker from your hands. It frightens you to have this turned on you so suddenly. You weren’t expecting this reaction.

“I’m sorry, Hop-” he cuts you off before you’re able to finish.

“No, you’re not! You told me you wouldn’t put the Gym Challenge before your leg! How long has this been going on?! How long have you been lying to me?!” Hop screeches, and tears quickly well up in your eyes.

“Since Turffield. I was told not to do the Gym and I told you it was fine. I’m sorry.” You really mean it – you hadn’t meant to make him so upset, and it had killed you to lie to him like that.

Hop shakes his head disappointedly. “How could you?! So now that you’ve done permanent damage to it, now what? You’re going to continue the Gym Challenge?!” You nod to him, which only seems to make him angrier. “No! You need to stop!”

“What’s the point in stopping now? I’ve already damaged it. I might as well finish now, right?” You ask, but this is not the thing to be asking. Hop clenches his hands into fists on his legs, and he looks right into your eyes.

Molten gold eyes radiate his anger, and you feel yourself shrink under his gaze. He’s truly just as terrifying as his brother is when furious. “What’s the point?! So you don’t hurt yourself worse! You’ve injured yourself in every Gym we’ve been to! _Stop_!” Hop’s voice booms, and you begin sobbing in earnest now.

“I don’t want to stop! If I stop, then you will too… I really want you to make it all the way to the end!” Hop’s eyes take on a dark look at your words, and it makes you feel uncomfortable.

“What makes you think I would stop just because you did?” His voice sounds strangely hollow, and you feel nauseated.

“Because we’re travelling together?” Your voice squeaks. “T-together forever and all?” You stutter, and hug your arms around your chest.

“We were travelling together under the assumption it was safe for you to do so. That was a lie.” Hop looks away from you again, then suddenly stands. “I’m going to do the Gym. You should do it when you’re better.” He leaves immediately after, and you begin sobbing uncontrollably. You hiccup and gasp, and Raboot climbs up onto the hospital bed with you and lets you hold him.

It takes you some time, but you wipe the snot and tears from your face as you finally calm down. You press the call nurse button, and a nurse comes over quickly. “When am I allowed to leave?” You ask her.

“Oh, I believe the doctor said you could whenever if you don’t want to stay and work on recovery.” You nod at her answer, collecting your things and leaving.

It’s been over an hour, Hop’s likely already finished the Gym by now. On the off chance he hasn’t, you head in that direction. It’s not hard to find the Stadium in Motostoke, the clock tower attached to it stands tall above everything else, signalling its location. Getting up the lift is a different challenge without Hop, but you manage with Raboot and Corvisquire’s help.

By the time you reach the Stadium, Hop is just leaving it. “What are you doing here?!” He challenges, crossing his arms and glaring slightly at you. “You’re not seriously thinking of attempting the Gym, are you?” When you nod, Hop glares fully at you. “Are you mad?!”

“Probably,” you sigh, averting your eyes. “They say the Gym Challenge attracts a certain type.” You shrug your shoulders, unsure what to tell him.

“Then at least let me help you prepare,” Hop sighs, and your surprised at the offer. Grateful, but you’re not expecting him to actually want to help you.

“Why suddenly offer help?” You ask, looking back towards him.

“Because if I don’t, you’re just going to do it anyways and get hurt. At least this way I can help you minimize that.” Hop doesn’t look happy, but at least his offer proves he still cares.

“Thank you, Hop.” You mean it genuinely. When he meets your eyes, he quickly averts them again with a slight blush on his face.

“Yeah…what are we doing out here? Let’s get you inside and sitting!” Hop orders, grabbing you and wrapping an arm around you. He tugs you into the Stadium and helps you to a bench. He proceeds to describe, in detail, the Gym Mission, as well as Kabu’s Pokémon and strategy.

“Thank you. I feel like I stand a fighting chance now!” You smile at Hop, but he doesn’t return it.

“Listen, mate. Kabu is fierce. I barely won. There’s a reason this is the Gym you have to beat in order to be allowed free access to the Wild Area. Most Gym Challengers never make it past Kabu. Don’t take it too badly if you don’t win. Kabu is going to be tough on you to make sure you can handle the Wild Area. Given it’s what injured you…I think he’s going to go harder on you, like Nessa did. If you lose, take it as a sign and just wait until next year, yeah? Can you promise me that?” Hop suddenly takes your hands in his, and looks at you pleadingly.

“I…” You gulp, looking down at your joined hands. “Ok.” It hurts to give up, but Hop has a point. If you can’t win, that should be your sign to stop. “I’ll stop if I lose. But if I win, I’m going to keep going, you understand?” You look up to Hop, and his eyes suddenly turn dark once more as he lets go of your hands.

“Yeah. You should go get registered, then.” He stands suddenly, and walks off.

“Where are you going?” You call after him, but he doesn’t reply. You frown, it hurts so much to be treated this way by Hop. You suppose you deserve it, though. You made a lot of assumptions to get here, and lied to your best friend. Of course he’s mad, and he deserves to be.

You get yourself registered for the Gym Mission, and go get changed into your uniform. You leave your walker with one of the League Staff as you head down the hallway towards where the Gym Mission will take place. No one is ahead of you, so you get to start as soon as you’re ready.

Kabu is out in the lobby when you’re done. “Follow me,” is all he tells you, so you do. He allows you to grab your walker to use to get to the Gym Mission. “I can’t let you use it in the Mission, but you should be fully capable of completing my mission without it. I have faith in you.” Kabu gives you a small smile as you walk, and you bite your lip as you well up with emotion.

Kabu had been so kind to you and Hop when you’d been stuck in Motostoke at the beginning, letting you use his Stadium to train in. The tips he gave you and Hop had stuck with you this whole time, and Raboot had certainly learned a lot from training with the other Fire-types. “Thank you,” you reply after a moment. You don’t want to let him down. From the way Hop described the Mission, it did sound like you would be able to do it.

“Please leave your walker here,” Kabu requests as he opens a door. You’re lead into a large, round room with a big dirt circle with patches of tall grass in it. Hop told you this was a catching Pokémon mission, so you were hoping to rely pretty heavily on your bonding abilities with Pokémon to carry you through this one.

There’s three Gym Trainers standing around in the tall grass with their Pokémon. You take everything in as Kabu leads you to the center of the room. “I trust Hop did a good job of explaining my Mission to you?” Kabu asks with a quirk of his lips. He must know Hop spoiled the Mission for you, judging by the look he gives you.

“Ah, was he not supposed to?” You scratch your head, but Kabu shakes his head in answer.

“No, that saves me the air.” Kabu suddenly tosses three Pokéballs out. A Vulpix, a Litwick, and a centipede looking Pokémon you don’t recognize pop out. They quickly dash off into the tall grass, and you guess these are the Pokémon you’re supposed to catch. He breaks each ball, then hands you three new ones.

“Here, use these to catch the Pokémon in. If you lose them in the grass, I can give you new ones. You may use your Pokémon however you see fit. Begin!” Kabu signals for you to start with a sweep of his arm. You take a deep breath, and get your Pokémon to start searching for the Pokémon that ran off. Raboot stays with you to help hold you up, but Corvisquire circles above the grass, letting you know where the Pokémon are with a literal bird’s eye view.

Raboot helps you towards the Vulpix, the nearest Pokémon to you. A Gym Trainer runs over when you find the Vulpix, and you remember Hop telling you about how these trainers will try to sabotage you. You have to get 5 points, catching a Pokémon is 2 points, and defeating a Pokémon is 1 point. Basically, you had to catch at least two of the Pokémon, and be the one to knock out the last one, if you wanted to win the Mission. At least you aren’t on a timer this time.

“A lot of people can’t even complete the Gym Mission, so they never get to go on to fight Kabu. But of those who do complete it, most are then stopped by Kabu himself.” You remember Hop explaining while talking about the Gym Mission. You had a secret talent on your side, however.

So when the Trainer’s Rock-type Pokémon, another you don’t recognize, rolls up beside you, you sick Raboot on him to distract him. You turn your attention to the Vulpix with the Trainer stuck dealing with Raboot. You crouch to the ground, it’s less painful to be on the ground anyways, and hold out your hand to show you mean no harm.

This Vulpix trots right over and rubs against your hand, and you’re able to connect with her. She lives here at the Gym, and is taken care of by Kabu and the various Gym Trainers, so she’s very friendly. She knows she’s supposed to run and put up a bit of a fight before getting caught, but she quite likes you, so when you hold out the ball for her, she bops her nose right against it. She disappears into the ball, and it the light on it clicks green immediately.

You grin, one down. The Trainer stops fighting Raboot as soon as you’ve caught the Pokémon. “Well done!” He says, giving you a thumbs up and pulling out a potion to heal his Pokémon. Raboot helps you back up, and you know through Corvisquire that the next closest to you is Litwick. Once again, Raboot helps you over there, and Corvisquire helps to chase the Litwick closer to you.

A Gym Trainer follows Corvisquire up to the Litwick, trying to attack it with her own little centipede Pokémon. You sick Corvisquire on it – it looks like a Bug-type, which should be no challenge for Corvisquire, hopefully. Raboot helps you to the ground again, as you try to catch this one the same way you got the last.

Once again, connecting with this Pokémon is easy, as he lives here and is used to people and affection. He trusts you enough to let you boop him with a ball, and it too clicks green immediately. Corvisquire has taken out the Bug-type, and lands near you for praise. You pet him as Raboot helps you back up.

You pull out your Rotom-phone and use the Pokédex function for it for once when you find the last Pokémon. It’s a Sizzlipede, and the Gym Trainer who runs up uses another Pokémon you don’t recognize. Another use of the app tells you it’s a Salandit, and you’re thankful Sonia put this on your phone all that time ago. Now knowing more about these Pokémon, you get Corvisquire to fight the Salandit while Raboot helps you catch the Sizzlipede.

Sizzlipede’s a little harder. You can connect with him, but he wants to follow his orders more than the other two did. He won’t come over to you, or let you get him with your Pokéball. You toss it, but he dodges it. Raboot runs to retrieve it for you, as Corvisquire is still occupied with the Salandit.

Sizzlipede starts to run off, so you get Raboot to chase him down. Raboot kicks him, sending him tumbling back towards you. _Ok, you followed your orders, please get in the ball now?_ You ask him, hoping he can sense you’re in pain and just want to get this over with. _I don’t want to knock you out if I don’t have to_ , that seems to do the trick, as he lets Raboot touch him with the Pokéball.

When it clicks shut, you sigh with relief. The Gym Trainer gives Kabu a thumbs up, and Kabu shouts, “Congratulations! You completed the Fire Mission!” You take a deep breath, sighing again as you finish. Yeah, that was certainly the easiest Gym Mission for you yet, but it wasn’t exactly easy itself. You’re relieved it’s over.

Kabu comes over then, and offers you a hand to pull you to your feet. When you rise, you get a look at the balcony people can watch from, and catch Hop leaving out the doors. He had come to watch? You hadn’t even noticed – you hadn’t bothered to look, really. You thought he left the Stadium.

It fills you with warmth – things can’t be that bad between you and Hop if he’s still willing to come watch you. “Well done, I knew this would be little challenge for you.” Kabu’s warm smile fills you further, and you smile back at him.

“Thank you.” You hand him back the three Pokéballs, and he tucks them into a pocket.

“Those were some impressive catches, you really have a way with Fire-types.” Kabu comments as he leads you back out of the room. You grab your walker as soon as you’re through the door, and he continues. “Are you ready to battle me, or do you need a rest first?”

You’re incredibly thankful Kabu is so understanding. “Oh, I want to get my Pokémon healed up first,” you reply. You don’t want to walk into the fight at a disadvantage. Kabu reaches into a pocket and pulls out two potions. He offers them to your Pokémon for you. “Thank you, guess I should be ready then.” You weren’t injured in the Mission this time, and it wasn’t nearly as physically demanding as the others had been. You’re fairly confident you can move on to battling Kabu next. It’s not like you’ll get much better by waiting any.

Kabu takes you to the pitch. He leads you right down one of the halls, and even stays with you at the exit onto the pitch, instead of leaving for the opposite entrance to the pitch. You’re both given earpieces with microphones, and they go over the tests with both of you to make sure both headsets are working. No one says anything about the walker for once, either. You wonder if it’s because Kabu is here.

It isn’t long before you hear the signal that tells you to start walking out. You take a deep breath, recalling Raboot and Corvisquire before stepping away from your walker. Kabu nods at you, and keeps pace with your slow limp as you make your way onto the pitch. You shoot him a look that you hope speaks your thanks; it doesn’t feel nearly as embarrassing to limp out like this when he walks beside you.

The lights and the cheers are starting to not be as overwhelming now. You’re surprised to see Hop in the seats for the people cheering for you, so you smile at him. He doesn’t return it. Your smile dims a bit, so you look away to take more of the Stadium in. This one has more seating than the ones in Hulbury and Turffield did, and you’re shocked at how full the stands are. As you make it to the center, Kabu turns to you.

“Welcome to my Gym, Challenger! I’m pleased to see you make it here. The fact that you’re here means you’ve bested both Milo and Nessa. That’s quite an accomplishment!” Kabu compliments you, and you thank him. “Every Trainer and Pokémon trains hard in pursuit of victory. But that means your opponent is also working hard to win. In the end, the match is decided by which side is able to unleash their true potential.” Kabu winks at you before turning around and walking to the edge of the circle. You follow suit, limping over to the edge.

“Now, please show me the battle skills that got you here!” Kabu yells, and the same music you’ve heard in your Gym matches before plays once more. Kabu pulls out his first Pokéball, and tosses it into the circle. You grab Raboot’s, tossing him out to join the Ninetales that appears. “Incinerate!” Kabu calls, but you recall Raboot before the hit can connect.

Once again, your plan is to Dynamax right away. You tap Raboot’s ball to your Dynamax Band, and it grows large in your hands. You twist and fling it as hard as you can, and out pops your massive bunny. When you turn back around, Kabu is already off to the side of the pitch. _Use the big punchy move,_ you tell him; you still haven’t bothered to figure out what the Max Moves are actually called. Raboot understands, and launches a massive fist down on the Ninetales. It hurts quite a bit, and you’re glad, but she recovers quickly.

“Use Confuse Ray!” Kabu commands, and Ninetales launches the ray at Raboot. You hate the dizzy feeling it leaves you with, and you crash to the ground as you teeter onto your bad leg. You focus through the dizziness to lock your eyes on the Ninetales, and Raboot launches another attack at her. It hits, and she goes down. You’re relieved, and so dizzy. Two more, you hope you can do this! Kabu recalls his fainted partner, and sends out his Arcanine.

“Extreme Speed!” Kabu’s order comes, and then Arcanine attacks at lightning speed, hitting Raboot before you can even see it. He cries out, and launches another fist attack. Thankfully the area it hits is so large, it hits Arcanine without issue. The Dynamax effect comes to an end naturally, and Raboot shrinks down to normal size. It doesn’t hurt him when it’s not forcefully ended.

Raboot runs into battle, going for Double Kick against Arcanine. He’s using both your eyes and his own to stay upright as he gets closer. However, Arcanine’s faster once again, as Kabu shouts “Bite!” Arcanine is able to bite Raboot before he can get his kicks in, but Raboot manages to knock Arcanine over. Raboot isn’t looking too hot, though, and Arcanine is able to recover and go in for another Bite before Raboot can get a second attack in. Knowing it’ll take him down, you recall him before he can get hit.

You sigh in relief when the beam connects to Raboot just before Arcanine does, and Raboot disappears back into his ball. The dizziness leaves you as the bond between you two is cut. You tuck it into your pocket and pull out the ball of your last Pokémon, Corvisquire. Raboot didn’t go down this time, so there’s no point to Retaliate. You get Corvisquire to use Wing Attack instead, but Arcanine once again is able to attack first.

“Flame Wheel!” Kabu shouts, and Arcanine leaps up and hits Corvisquire as he’s diving down. The flying Pokémon recovers quickly, slamming into Arcanine’s side with his wings. The hit knocks Arcanine over, unconscious. Kabu pulls his lips together briefly as he recalls his Pokémon to send out his last. “There’s still a path to victory! Let’s go, Centiskorch!”

You send Corvisquire after him, but Kabu recalls his Pokémon before the hit connects. He taps his Dynamax Band, enlarging the ball, and you’re beginning to realize you’re in trouble.

You can’t really get up.

“Burn bright, Centiskorch! Let Gigantamax change your size and your form!” Kabu’s words ring out across the pitch. You try to struggle back up to your feet, but it’s difficult and painful. Centiskorch is massive on the other size of the pitch, and you’re still stuck on your ass. “Get out of the way!” Kabu calls out to you, gesturing with his arms.

“I’m trying!” You shout back, trying once again to get back up to your feet. Kabu hasn’t called an attack yet, but his Pokémon is winding up for one.

“Centiskorch, no!” Kabu notices too late that his Pokémon is still planning on attacking before you’re out of the way. Corvisquire begins flying as fast as he can to the far side of the pitch, hoping that he’ll be far enough away that you won’t get hit.

It doesn’t work.

The massive fire attack is launched. The actual fire part of it soars over your head, thankfully, but the shockwave of it hitting the ground launches you into the air. You land harshly on your bad leg, and it twists under you as you land, and you hear a popping sound.

A scream rips out of you at the pain. Your knee, it’s your knee that hurts. It looks funny, and trying to move it hurts like hell. Kabu comes running over, the battle on hold apparently. “Are you alright?!” He shouts, and kneels beside you.

“No!” You sob, shaking with fear and pain.

“I can call a medical team out, but that would count as your loss, I’m afraid.” Kabu explains, and you bite your lip. Can you really win this anyways? Corvisquire is in relatively good condition despite the hit, and he thinks he could take down the Gigantamax Pokémon if you weren’t injured.

“So if I want to win, I’d have to tough it out, is that what you’re saying?” You choke out, and Kabu nods solemnly. You suck in air through your teeth. Can you do this? _Should_ you do this? Probably not, but you’re so close. Raboot is still conscious, too. You could win this. “Fine. Let’s continue the battle, then.” You shudder, and Kabu once again nods.

“If you’re sure. Can you stand?” You most certainly can’t, so you shake your head. “If you can’t get out of the way, you’ll have to forfeit anyways.” You frown at Kabu’s words, this isn’t what you wanted to hear. Corvisquire helpfully offers to move you.

“Can my Pokémon move me?” You ask, and Kabu thinks for a moment before nodding. Corvisquire is able to carefully lift you and move you off to the side. You have to hold your leg steady, as it hurts like a bitch to move, and you cry out in pain when he sets you down. He was as gentle as possible, but it still hurts like hell. You know something is seriously wrong with it, but your overwhelming desire to finish this match wins over the pain.

The match is resumed as Corvisquire and Kabu rejoin the field. When you look out, you catch Hop in the seats opposite you. He looks absolutely furious, and you can tell he’s shouting at you to quit now by reading his lips.

Corvisquire launches back into the thick of things with a Wing Attack against Centiskorch. The move hurts the massive Pokémon, and he retaliates with another massive fire attack that Kabu orders, “G-Max Centiferno!” The attack hurts, and Corvisquire barely hangs in there. In one last dash to win, he shoots himself back at the giant Centiskorch. As Gigantamax Pokémon prepares his attack, Corvisquire speeds in, getting a hit in before Centiskorch can attack.

The massive Pokémon explodes as the Gigantamax comes to a forceful end. You begin sobbing, the battle won as you hear the announcer declare you the winner. Kabu comes over to you after recalling his Pokémon, and crouches next to you.

“I’m often regarded as the first real roadblock of the Gym Challenge, and yet you defeated me! I know now that you and your Pokémon make a fantastic team. I’m glad we could battle today! Let me give you a Fire Badge as proof of your victory against me.” He speaks quickly, hurriedly placing the badge in your hand, then turns and gestures behind you for someone to come.

A medical team runs out then, with a stretcher and everything. A doctor introduces himself to you before he assesses and stabilizes your leg. You’re moved to a stretcher to get you off the pitch, and told you’re being taken to the nearest Center. You let all this happen, you’re in too much pain to focus on much else.

“You’ve dislocated your knee.” Your doctor at the Center explains as he points to the x-rays that were taken of your leg. “Thankfully, you’ve done minimal damage to it, but this certainly doesn’t help your previous injury in any way. You’re not going to be able to walk on it for a few days, at least. I’d like you to stay off it for a full week, however.” His words aren’t nice to hear, but it sounds like it could have been much worse. “You won’t require surgery, so we’ll give you some drugs so you won’t feel anything as we set your leg.”

You really don’t feel a thing, and the pain meds they give you after knock you right out. You aren’t able to ask about your Pokémon before you go under; you hope they’re ok. Someone took them when you arrived at the Center, but they haven’t been returned to you yet. Your last thoughts before sleep takes you are about their safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who continues to read this! I really wouldn't be able to keep doing this without your support. Every comment and kudo means the world to me.
> 
> Welcome to ANGST TOWN everyone hope you're ready for all this extra ANGST I ordered for you all. I'm incredibly happy with how this next set of Chapters came out, now that I've finished it. I can't wait to post them all!
> 
> I've met so many cool people through writing this, I love all of you who've added me on various platforms. I'm on discord as MightyMage#8983 and twitter as @MightyMage5 if anyone else out there would like to be my friend too. I could always use more friends into Pokémon! 
> 
> So Kieran is a dumb bitch anyways how was your day?


	34. Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta readers, Audzilla28 and Ember564

When you wake, you’re surprised to see Hop there. You didn’t think he’d come, especially after your fight earlier. Now you’d hurt yourself worse, too, and Hop had not looked too pleased about that at your match. He’s on his phone, head turned away from you, so you can’t tell what kind of expression he wears now. He’s not holding your hand or anything this time, either.

You grunt as you attempt to sit up, and this calls Hop’s attention to you. He spins around, and he doesn’t look immediately angry, but anger slowly fills up his features until his eyebrows are pulled down over his eyes and his mouth twists into a frown.

“Quite happy with the results of your actions?” He asks sarcastically, and the harsh sound of his voice causes you to flinch.

“Of course I’m not,” you mumble, voice scratchy. You hate it when he’s mad at you, you just want to go back to being best friends again.

Hop rolls his eyes. “Then you should have listened to me! I knew this would happen! I told you to wait until you were better!” His voice is loud, impassioned like this. You can’t meet his eyes – he was right, after all.

“I’m sorry,” you choke out, and you hear Hop scoff.

“You’re sorry you got hurt. You’re not sorry you ignored my warning. Don’t,” Hop warns, glaring at you. You shrink further under his gaze, feeling small and weak.

All you can do is nod. He’s right, he had warned you and you had ignored it. You had got hurt, and you only have yourself to blame for it. It’s clear Hop is blaming you, too. You scratch your arms as you hug them around you. “You’re right, I’m not. I’m just sorry I got hurt. I just… I really want to do the Gym Challenge with you, Hoppy…” Your voice quietly trails off, staring down at your lap. Tears blur your vision, your eyes stinging as you desperately try to hold them back. You utterly fail as the tears begin to run down your cheeks, but you can’t bring yourself to look at Hop.

“And you could have. If you’d just listened to the doctors and followed their advice. I would have stayed with you.” Hop’s voice sounds odd, which causes you to look up. He’s not looking at you, though, but staring off into the distance, almost wistfully.

It hurts, knowing you once again made the wrong choice. You’ve put serious strain on your friendship now, as Hop will have difficulties trusting you from now on. Your stomach churns, you feel sick at the thought you could lose your friendship over this. ”I’m sorry!” You gush as tears pour down your face.

“But you aren’t! Not for what I want you to be sorry for, anyways! Your apologies are hollow and mean nothing, stop! You’re sorry I’m mad, sorry you actually got hurt, sorry you got caught…!” His voice hitches, and he takes a deep breath. “But you aren’t sorry for lying to me. You aren’t sorry for doing the Gym Challenge when you shouldn’t have. I bet if you didn’t get hurt, you’d be running off to Hammerlocke now! Why don’t you care about yourself?!”

Hop’s words shock you a bit. Is that what this boils down to? He’s called you out, and you have nothing to respond with. You blubber a bit like a fish, unable to form coherent streams of thought for speech. You thought you were self-sacrificing for your Pokémon and for Hop, but perhaps you were so easily able to do that because you care less for yourself than you do for them. Your eyes fall away from Hop, back to your lap, as you swallow thickly.

“Yeah, nothing to say to that, huh?” Hop sounds sarcastic, like he’s upset you’re not saying anything. “Stop the Gym Challenge until you’re actually better. I mean it,” he demands, one of his hands curling around the railing of your bed.

“I can’t walk, Hop. Not got much of a choice there.” You shrug, picking at the tape holding your IV to your hand.

“You know that’s not what I mean! Stop intentionally avoiding the problem, here!” Hop shouts, and you jolt in surprise at his sudden raise in volume again.

“I… Ok. I’ll take a break until I’ve healed up more.” You look up tentatively to meet his eyes, and you catch some of the anger fading from them.

“Until you’ve healed up _completely_ ,” Hop stresses, fixing you with another glare.

“I can’t promise that.” You shake your head. “There’s no guarantee I’ll ever heal up ‘completely’.” You air quote as you speak the word. “But I will give it a rest until I’m well enough that it’s safer for me to continue.” It’s the best you can promise, because you don’t want to stop. You want to make it to the end, and you know the risks involved with that. Your leg will be permanently weakened, you’ll always have a limp, and doing more on it could only make this worse.

But waiting for years for it to heal up brings its own form of pain and suffering. Waiting for years to gain some strength back, only to injure it again when you try again… It’s a cycle you’ve already been through. And you know how that one ends. Your mind is made up – you’re going to do the Gym Challenge, no matter what.

Hop clenches his teeth and frowns at you. “Why?! Why do you do this to yourself?!”

“Because I’ve done it before. And sitting out right away? It solved nothing. I still ended up right here. So I don’t care, no matter what I do I’m fucked. I might as well do something I love then, so the depression doesn’t kill me this time.” It’s hard to meet Hop’s eyes as you unload honestly on him.

“You’ve… Done this before?” His voice goes quiet, and he looks horrified.

“Yeah. Got injured in the world without Pokémon as a kid. All the physiotherapy and treatments and medications and surgeries meant nothing in the end. I still ended up with a leg similar to this.” You gesture vaguely at your left leg. “The only thing that finally helped any in the end was getting back to the things I was told to avoid for so long. And I don’t mean it helped my leg. It did not. But it helped me not want to die.” It’s tough to admit such things to him, but he deserves to know your reasoning behind why.

Hop looks at you with sad eyes. “Oh,” is all he says, as he just stares at you for a while. It seems like he’s trying to think of something to say, though, so you give him the space to do so. “I can’t say I understand completely, but I think I understand a bit better now.”

“I’m sorry I lied to you. I do regret that. If I could go back and change things, I would have explained this to you back in Turffield.” You mean it, you do regret lying to him. It had killed you to do so. It was almost a relief to not have any more lies to keep up with him, now. You could go back to complete honesty once more.

“Yeah.” Hop nods, looking away to wipe his eyes on the back of his hand. “No more lies, please,” he begs, and you nod back to him.

“Ok. Just so you’re aware, when I lie, I grin like an absolute idiot. It’s the worst tell.” Giving yourself up like this will help keep you honest, you think. You don’t want to lie to him anymore, he’s your best friend after all.

Hop laughs a bit at this, a small smile climbing onto his face. “That explains so much. You had that weird smile that day you told me you were fine in Turffield, it seemed too big. Now I understand!” Humour dances in his eyes as you’re finally brave enough to meet his once more. “I know what to watch for now, you’ll never be able to lie to me again!” Hop’s grin spreads wider, taking up most of his face.

You laugh, too. “Yeah, just like that, that’s the grin,” you tease him, and he shakes his head with a laugh. It feels so nice to laugh with him again. “And that’s the idea, I don’t want to lie to you anymore. If you know my tell, I won’t want to lie around you.”

Hop nods, the smile slowly sliding from his face. “Ok. That’s good.” Hop’s reply is a bit robotic, and he looks away from you again. “I’m still mad. And I still want you to stop. But it’s ‘cause I care about you, yeah? Stop looking like I just kicked a baby Wooloo.”

You snort, it’s a bit funny of a picture in your head. “I understand,” you assure, and Hop’s face softens a bit.

“I’m going to head back to the inn, it’s late. I’m sorry you got hurt, mate. I think Kabu is coming by tomorrow to talk with you about it.” Hop informs you, getting up and collecting his things. You look around to try to spot a clock to see what time it is, but you don’t see one. You do see your Pokémon, however, asleep together in the comfy armchair in the corner.

You’re sad he’s leaving, but you understand why. He likely needs his space to be angry, and asking him to stick around just to keep you company isn’t going to be conductive to either of you. “Have a good night, Hoppy,” you return, and Hop waves as he leaves.

You flop back into your bed. You’re not in much pain, at least, as you still can’t feel your left leg at all. You poke at it, and feel nothing. It’s so strange, and it makes you a little uncomfortable, so you avoid moving it in case you hurt it without knowing. You stare off into space, thinking about everything that happened during the day, and sleep comes to claim you naturally after a while.

You’re awoken the next morning by the doctor, who comes in to look at your leg and do some tests. It still feels numb – not as numb as yesterday, but still slightly numb – and that concerns the doctor. He tests all the usual things, with some added x-rays and other imagining tech, to go over how it has set.

“It looks like setting it pinched some nerves.” The doctor points to something on the image held up to the light board, but you’re not really sure what you’re supposed to be seeing. “To fix it would require surgery, but it’s not guaranteed to fix it. The nerves might be too damaged, resulting in you still feeling some numbness in your leg, and only adding to your recovery time. I know you want to do the Gym Challenge, which is why I mention that.”

You pull your lips into a line. On one hand, the numbness means you’re not in nearly as much pain. On the other, this is going to make it so much harder to walk. “Go over with me the pros and cons of both surgery and leaving it be,” you request, and the doctor goes into the details with you. It’s a lot, most of it goes over your head, and you really wish someone were there to help you deal with this.

“Do I have to make my decision right now?” You ask when he finishes.

“Of course not. Take your time. Talk to people about it.” He wishes you well before leaving you to think about things. Your mind goes over and over the details, but you still land on the same questions.

_How much do I want to do this? How badly do I want to win this?_

Your Pokémon tell you _badly enough_ , but you want more than their opinion. You don’t get the chance to call anyone to talk to them before Kabu is knocking on your door. “Come in!” You call out, and the door opens.

“I’m glad to see you are awake.” Kabu takes a seat where Hop had been sitting last night. “How are you feeling?”

“Well, I’m not in too much pain, my left leg is mostly numb. But I can’t walk for a while, so that sucks,” you explain, and Kabu nods in understanding.

“I wanted to offer my most sincere of apologies. That my Pokémon attacked you like that… I wish to explain. Whenever I Gigantamax my Centiskorch in a Gym battle, the first move we always use is G-Max Centiferno. It’s so ingrained in our strategy, I no longer need to command him to do it. He knows what to do. I did not give him an order, as you were in the way, so he only did what he thought he should always do in that situation. He did not know you were in the way. We are both so very sorry for what happened.” Kabu bows his head low in the chair, planting his hands on his knees as he does so.

Having it explained to you is a relief. You’re glad it wasn’t another cruel test. “I understand. I forgive you, it was an accident.”

Kabu sits up at that and sighs. “That you won despite your injuries shows a kind of determination that will take you far. Or kill you. Be careful with it,” Kabu warns, and you nod.

“I know. Leon’s warned me of it, as well. I’m still working on it, rather unsuccessfully if you haven’t noticed.” You smile, hoping humour will diffuse some of the tension of the situation.

“Of course he did. The fact remains, you won fairly, and earned a Fire Badge. You’re allowed into the Wild Area now, and your next task is making it from Motostoke to Hammerlocke through the Wild Area. As you are now, you cannot go, but I am assuming you intend to do so when you are recovered.” Kabu watches you as he speaks, crossing his arms.

“Yes, that’s the goal,” you reply.

“It is my duty to make sure you are properly equipped with the knowledge you’ll need to safely make it to Hammerlocke. If you’re ready to learn more, I’ll take you to the Stadium to teach you everything you need to know,” Kabu offers politely.

“Oh, thank you. I don’t know if I’m allowed to leave yet, though.” You frown, thinking about what the doctor had said earlier.

“I’ve already checked, I can take you out for a few hours to go over the lessons, as long as I bring you back after.” Kabu smiles kindly at you, and you’re relieved to hear that.

It’ll be nice to get out of the Center for a bit. “Then yes, I’m ready. But how will you get me there? I can’t walk.” The answer, as it turns out, feels so obvious you’re ashamed you didn’t think of it. A wheelchair, of course. You’re loaded into one, your IV tube disconnected from the machine as the needle remains in your hand for when you come back. The staff get you a sweater and blanket for your legs; you were put in a hospital gown upon arriving and they don’t let you change out of it.

Kabu pushes you along, taking you back to the Stadium. The sun is high in the sky, it’s already mid-afternoon. You’re surprised it’s as late as it is. “What about Hop?” You ask, thinking about the boy who’s still mad at you.

“He’s already taken the lessons this morning.” Kabu informs you, and you let out a small ‘oh’ of disappointment. So you wouldn’t get to see him there. “Where you hoping to take them together?” You blush at Kabu’s words – being called out so easily sucks. Kabu chuckles lightly. “Ah, young love,” he teases, and you blush further.

“We’re just friends!” You state nervously, turning in your wheelchair to look behind you at the man.

“Sure, of course you are.” His voice sounds sarcastic, but you don’t have the heart to glare at the man who’s currently wheeling you around the city.

“Yeah, I was hoping we could do it together. We’ve done everything else together, up to this point. It kinda sucks that he’s racing ahead of me now.” You finally respond after a moment.

“I see. That boy has always been on the impatient side,” Kabu adds, and you hum in agreement. After a lapse into silence, Kabu speaks again. “What do you plan to do if you can’t continue the Gym Challenge?”

“I don’t know,” you admit quietly. “I haven’t really thought about it, to be honest. I don’t even know what kind of work I could do for a living. And I can’t expect Hop and his family to support and take care of me forever.” It’s easy to be open and honest with Kabu, he doesn’t ever make you feel like he’s judging you.

“There’s always room for you in my Gym. I saw the way you handled those Fire-types in the Mission. You and Raboot make quite the powerful team, as well. I could always use a Gym Trainer like you.” Kabu’s offer brings tears to your eyes. You could still be a Trainer! Maybe not in the capacity you dreamed of, but this was better than nothing.

“Thank you so much. I’ll definitely take you up on that if I can’t complete the Gym Challenge.” You wouldn’t mind living in Motostoke, either. You’re used to city living, and this is a nice city. You’re not far from Postwick, so you could still see Hop and his family often too. It sounds lovely.

“I regret what happened, and I am fully responsible. It is the least I can offer to you, to make up for what my Pokémon and I have caused.” Kabu’s voice sounds deeply sad, it must be hard for him to come to terms with the fact that he’s caused someone permanent injury.

“Those Dynamax moves sure are strong. I’m amazed they let stuff like that happen in matches when people could get injured so easily,” you muse, thinking about the hot shockwave that had sent you flying into the air. That massive fire attack had hit nearly the entire half of your side of the pitch.

“Thanks to the Dynamax phenomenon, Pokémon battles have become part of the culture of the Galar region. Back when I first became a Gym Leader, there was no such thing. Yet you young Trainers don’t know of anything different. It’s the young who keep such a culture alive. I hope that instead of just keeping it alive, you make the battle culture of Galar become something better.” Kabu’s words ring with a hidden meaning to them that you can’t quite decipher, but you’re sure it’s important.

Better, how?

He doesn’t elaborate, however. He changes the topic to Pokémon, asking about both of your Pokémon and needling you about your battle strategies. This causes you to reveal your secret to him. “I can… Sort of talk to them, I guess? Talk isn’t the right word. I can almost _feel_ what they feel, if that makes sense. It’s like I know what they’re thinking.”

“I see, so that’s what Leon meant. You’re gifted, I see why you push yourself so hard. It is good to make use of your gifts,” Kabu comments, as he wheels you onto the lift up to the upper level. It’s easy to talk with Kabu, so conversation continues naturally until he gets you into the small classroom that must be used for teaching lessons.

It takes a few hours to get through everything, but you feel much more confident about going out into the Wild Area now. Armed with knowledge about paths, how to navigate, what to eat, and what to avoid, to name a few, you feel much smarter and safer. You and your Pokémon pay close attention to Kabu’s lessons, as none of you want a repeat of last time.

Kabu takes you back to the Center after, it’s later into the evening by the time you’re done. You text Hop to see what he’s up to, but he doesn’t text back. You spend the rest of the night alone in the Center with your Pokémon. It’s strange to spend so much time without Hop. The longer it goes on, the more your heart hurts. You at least have other people to text, but it’s not quite the same as hanging out with Hop is.

In fact, you don’t hear from Hop for a few days. You only know he’s still in Motostoke because Kabu tells you so. Kabu has been kindly rescuing you from the Center every day, letting your Pokémon train in the Stadium while you sit safely in your wheelchair off to the side.

Today, Marnie is here too. She beat the Gym before you and Hop got to Motostoke, as far as you’re aware, so you’re not sure why she’s still here. “Didn’t expect t’see ya here,” she calls out as she comes over to you.

“Nor I you. I would have thought you’d be on your way to Hammerlocke by now.” You look up at her as she comes over, and she shakes her head.

“Tried. Didn’t go as planned. Regroupin’ here and tryin’ again when my Bro can help,” she explains, toeing the ground with one foot as she looks down.

“Kabu’s been letting me come here so I don’t go stir crazy in the Center.” You answer her unasked question, and she looks back up at you and nods.

“That mean you’re allowed t’battle?” Marnie’s eyes light up at the prospect of a good fight, and you shoot her a grin.

“As long as I stay in my wheelchair. So no Dynamaxing or anything.” Marnie nods once in understanding.

“Milo said ya hadn’t lost yet. That still true?” Marnie asks, and you blink in surprise.

It wasn’t something you’d thought about for a while. Thinking on it, you’ve still got a perfect win streak. “Yeah, actually. I still haven’t lost yet. Been close a couple times, though.”

Marnie’s eyes get wider. “Then allow me to be the first one to let you taste defeat!” She marches a ways away, recalling her Morpeko as she goes. Once she deems she’s a far enough distance away, she turns back around and pulls a Pokéball out, holding it to her chest. “Ready?”

You recall both Raboot and Corvisquire. “Ready!” Marnie tosses out a Croagunk at the same time as you toss out Raboot. Raboot is ready to go, and charges at Croagunk with Flame Charge. Croagunk flips out of the way of the hit, and swipes at Raboot. Raboot is able to jump out of the way, and you notice that Marnie’s Pokémon is attacking without any vocal direction from her.

“Mud Slap!” So she does use vocal commands. The hit hurts Raboot, but he retaliates with Blaze Kick, knocking Croagunk over. She gets back up quickly, and hits Raboot with another attack. You think it was a Poison-type attack, but you’re not sure. Marnie didn’t call anything out for that hit. Raboot hits back with Flame Charge, sending the Poison-type Pokémon rolling. Raboot follows this up with another hit, knocking Croagunk out cold. Marnie frowns slightly as she recalls her Pokémon.

“As I ‘xpected, your Pokémon’re good,” she compliments as she throws out her next Pokémon. “But I still have two left! Morpeko, get ‘im!” Morpeko appears, charging at Raboot and jabbing at him. This causes Raboot to physically flinch, even though the attack doesn’t hurt that badly. _He’s weak to fighting_ , you tell Raboot, and after recovering from flinching, Raboot kicks out at Morpeko. The Dark-type tumbles backwards, and when he gets up, he turns purple and looks angry.

Morpeko attacks back with a punch – it looks Electric-type – that knocks Raboot unconscious. You grimace as you recall him into his ball, then release him again by your side. You don’t want him waking up in the ball. Marnie doesn’t say anything about it, either, as you send out Corvisquire next. He doesn’t need to be told twice to use Retaliate, he can see his unconscious best friend right there. Corvisquire slams into the tiny, angry Pokémon, and he rolls all the way back to Marnie’s feet from the force of the hit.

Marnie gasps, “Morpeko!” She scoops him up in her arms, and holds him while she sends out her next Pokémon. You wonder if Morpeko feels the same way about Pokéballs as Raboot; you’ve never seen Marnie put him back in his ball unless she’s had to, similar to how you treat your Pokémon. Marnie glares as her Scraggy appears on the pitch. “Let’s finish this! Use Rock Slide!”

Not good, you get Corvisquire to fly out of the way to dodge that one. He isn’t quite able to dodge the larger attack, and it hurts him. _She’s weak to Fighting, use Revenge._ It does double when he’s been hurt first, and Scraggy being weak to it means double _that_. The hit sends her flying back, rolling back towards Marnie. The Fighting-type gets up, pulling up her large pants before using Rock Slide again.

Corvisquire hangs in there, diving back in to hit Scraggy. She’s barely standing, she’s looking so weak it wouldn’t matter what you hit her with. Corvisquire dives in with Peck, nailing the Pokémon right in the chest. She collapses backwards and doesn’t move. Marnie slumps as she recalls her final Pokémon.

The girl sighs and shakes her head. “We went all out too. Trained to learn moves just to beat Fire-types, and we still lost. You really are somethin’.” Marnie walks back over to you as you dig potions out of your bag for your Pokémon.

“I’m impressed, you barely instruct your Pokémon! That was a tough battle,” you reply as Raboot wakes up next to you.

“Um, ‘ts kinda hard to ‘xplain.” Marnie looks away, taking a seat on the ground in front of you to dig through her own bag. “I guess they can kinda tell what I want ‘em to do, I s’pose.”

This excites you, can she do what you can do? “Can you, like, _feel_ what they’re feeling and stuff? And they can tell what you’re thinking too?” Marnie shakes her head and furrows her brows at your questions.

“No, not quite like that. They can kinda tell what I want ‘em to do. I can’t tell what they’re thinkin’ though.” It sounds like Marnie might have a one-way version of what you have. “Why? Those are strange questions. Is that what you can do?”

You nod, petting Raboot as he hops into your lap. “Yeah, it’s why I don’t have to command them in battle. They can tell what I want them to do, and I can tell what they’re thinking, too. So we work together on strategy while battling.” You hope this doesn’t sound weird or confusing to Marnie.

“Mmm, I’ve heard of that. Sounds cool. No wonder you’re so good.” Marnie’s tone doesn’t sound upset or confused, so you’ll take that as a win.

“Yeah, I guess it’s a little unfair, though,” you sigh, scratching your head while you watch Marnie heal her Pokémon.

Marnie shakes her head. “Use every advantage ya got in battle. That’s what my Bro always tells me.” She cocks her head towards your injured leg. “Especially if ya got a handicap like that.”

You nod, it makes you feel a bit better that she doesn’t view it as cheating or something. You’re always a bit afraid of what people might say or think if you tell them about this. Marnie’s positive reaction gives you hope. She seems nice, and she’s a good trainer. Morpeko and Raboot are becoming good friends, as well. It would be nice to make another friend here, even if she’s also your rival in this Challenge.

“I think I’m ready for the Wild Area. Thanks for the battle.” She gets up, collecting her things and her Pokémon.

“I thought you said you were going to wait for your Bro?” You ask, confused over the sudden change in plans.

Marnie also looks confused. “I am,” she states, looking at you blankly.

“Oh, I thought you meant you were going _now_ , that the battle changed your mind or something. Sorry, I misunderstood.” You feel awkward for getting it wrong, but Marnie giggles behind one of her hands. Mirth dances in her eyes as her shoulder shake.

“What, think you’re such amazin’ stuff that ya’d change my mind ‘bout that?” She teases, and you groan.

“No, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way!” You disagree with a laugh, enjoying being able to get along with the girl. She spends some more time with you, and the two of you train together with your Pokémon. It’s not really either of your decision, Morpeko and Raboot make the decision for you, forcing the two of you to go along with it. It’s fun though, and it’s nice not to train alone again. You and your Pokémon learn a lot from training with someone who isn’t Hop for once.

Kabu takes you back to the Center after a while, and you wish Marnie goodbye. You exchange numbers before you go, and you smile the whole way back to the Center. “It’s nice to see Marnie make a friend her own age,” Kabu muses as he steers you back.

You’re not really sure what to say to that. “Yeah, it’s nice to have another friend.” You’re not sure what else to say.

“It’s nice to see you with a smile on your face, too.” Kabu replies, and you laugh a bit in embarrassment.

“Thank you,” you mumble softly.

When you begin to feel lonely in the Center that night, you decide to text people who aren’t Hop again. Marnie is the first one you text, but you also shoot texts off to Sonia and Leon as well. The reminder that you have other friends who aren’t Hop is nice, because you miss him terribly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your guys’ love and support is so greatly appreciated, thank you so much. I adore all of you, and I love every comment. You are all beautiful and wonderful and I am writing this for you <3
> 
> Marnie is such a sweetie, I love her so much. I wish she had more of a personality in game. Game freak, you’re not giving me a lot to work with here. I hope I do her justice.
> 
> Writing these fights with Hop is hard I just wanna be his best friend guys I hate hurting him.
> 
> I still have not done any further moving oops. I’m so tired. I have not done anything since I last posted hahaha.
> 
> I tried starting a Leon/Raihan one-shot but got stuck immediately and I don’t like that I have writers block for this AND for new stuff. I’ve got content to last me two weeks, so hopefully I get something done in that time.
> 
> Though on a related note, Wolfie and I have two chapters up of our Leon/Gloria with side Raihan/Piers story! If you'd like the direct link to it: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25367695/chapters/61509406  
> Please check it out if you're interested!


	35. Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is going up late! I am in so much pain, I've been doing so much. Don't do many things when you're chronically ill it doesn't end well.
> 
> Shout outs to my beta readers, Ember564 and Audzilla28, I couldn't do this without you.
> 
> Wolfie_ROOD and I have a new Gloria/Leon with Raihan/Piers story! Please [ check it out ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25367695/chapters/61509406) if you have the time!

Hop finally comes to see you the next day. “How are you doing, mate?” He asks as he takes a seat beside your hospital bed.

You shrug. “In a lot of pain. I’m still not allowed to walk. But at least I can use a wheelchair. Kabu’s been coming to rescue me.” Hop won’t meet your eyes, but at least he’s here.

“Yeah, I heard. Kabu, uh, told me. I’ve been training there, and he barred me from coming back until I stopped running away from you.” Hop looks up at you now, and there’s a sheen of tears in his eyes.

It hurts to hear Hop say he’s been avoiding you, but you had sort of suspected as much. “Why? Why are you running from me?”

“I’m…I don’t know, I’m not really mad anymore… I don’t know how to explain it, but I wasn’t ready to face you.” Hop looks away, over his shoulder. “Guess I’m a bit more ready now.”

“I’m so sorry, Hop. I really am. I just… I wanted to do the Gym Challenge with you so much, I pushed myself much farther than I should have. I’m so, so sorry.” Tears leak down your cheeks as you apologize, your heart aching from missing him.

Hop sighs, and looks back over at you. “You’ve suffered enough because of your injury. I just wish you would drop out and let yourself heal.”

You shake your head. “I can’t do that. I’ve come so far! I already explained to you my reasoning for continuing. Can we not have this fight again? I know you disagree with my choices, but it’s still my choice in the end. I should have stopped in Motostoke and waited until I was better, but I didn’t, and I have to live with that. So now all I can do is make the best of this, and that means doing the Gym Challenge. Even if I make my leg worse because of it.”

Hop swallows and frowns, but eventually nods. “I can’t say I understand, mate. But I’ll try. You’re still my best friend, after all. And I want to help you.”

“Thank you.” You smile at him, and the small smile he gives you back is genuine.

“Want me to wheel you around Motostoke for a bit? I bet you’re pretty bored here,” Hop offers, standing up and moving to your bedside.

“Yes, please, god I’m so bored in here,” you beg, and Hop laughs lightly.

“Alright, I’ll grab your wheelchair.” Hop helps you into your wheelchair, tucking a blanket around you and making sure you’re comfy before heading out. Your Pokémon follow with you, happy to see Hop and his Pokémon again too. The two of you grab ice cream together; it’s a warm, sunny day out, perfect for the cold treat.

Hop finishes his like he hasn’t ate in days, as usual, while you slowly eat yours. He’s standing in front of you, arms behind his head, telling you about his new training routine while his Pokémon play with yours. You listen with a smile, as it’s so nice to spend time with him again. Someone catches your eye while Hop talks, and you look over to see Bede.

He’s coming towards the two of you with a smug look on his face. “Well, looks like you traded in for a new set of wheels,” Bede remarks, raising an eyebrow as he takes you and your wheelchair in. “Suits you better, someone weak needs to be steered around by the strong, after all.” Bede’s face twists into a cruel smile, and you frown.

Hop reacts faster than you do, however. “How dare you! She was injured accidentally in battle, and that’s how you react?! What’s wrong with you? Who raised you to be such a failure?” Hop snarls, taking a step forward to put himself between you and Bede.

Bede does not react well to Hop’s words. “How dare you insult the man who raised me? I’ll show you that the only failures here are the two of you!” Bede pulls out a Pokéball and glares at Hop.

“Bring it, I’ll kick your arse, just like you’re used to!” Hop recalls his own Pokémon, and Bede stalks away several feet before turning back to face Hop. They each toss out Pokémon, Hop his Wooloo and Bede his Solosis.

“Charm!” Bede calls.

“Copycat!” Hop shouts back. Solosis uses the move, and Wooloo copies the same move, using it back against Bede’s Pokémon.

Bede growls in frustration, “Psyshock!” Solosis hits Wooloo with a Psychic blast, but Wooloo shakes the hit off.

“Get him back with Headbutt!” Hop calls out to Wooloo, and Wooloo charges into Solosis. He bounces once, before getting up, ready to fight.

“Reflect!” Solosis casts a barrier that reduces the damage Wooloo’s attacks do, much to Hop’s annoyance. Wooloo follows new orders, using Protect to block Solosis’ next attack. He rolls in with a Take Down, but misses the tiny Pokémon.

“Psybeam again!” Bede orders, and this time Wooloo isn’t fast enough to use Protect in time to block the move. Wooloo becomes confused, and rolls into Hop in his confusion, knocking both over. “Ha! Can’t even control your Pokémon, can you?” Bede taunts, and Hop growls as he gets up.

Wooloo isn’t looking so good, however, and is still confused. “Wooloo, try Headbutt again!” But Wooloo is too confused to get the attack right, knocking himself out when he rolls into a wall. Hop grimaces, but sends out his next Pokémon. “Come on, Thwackey! Let’s finish him!”

Thwackey charges out and uses Razor Leaf, which takes out Solosis. “Hmph, so you’re not a complete failure,” Bede grimaces as he recalls his fainted Pokémon. He tosses out Ponyta next, grinning cruelly. “Use Mystical Fire!”

Hop flinches. “Dodge it!” He cries, but Thwackey is unable to dodge the damaging hit. Thwackey cries out in pain, but gets up to charge in for a hit. “Use Knock Off!” The Dark-type move hurts Ponyta as good as she gave, knocking her over. She gets back up, using the Fire move again. Thwackey barely hangs in there, but misses his next attack, putting him at a disadvantage.

“Finish him!” Bede yells, and Ponyta indeed finishes Thwackey off. You think Hop should have recalled his Pokémon and tried sending out a different one, like Corvisquire, and he may have taken the lead back. Now, he only falls further behind.

Hop’s frowning deeply, and he’s got his brows knit in concentration the same way his older brother does in matches. He recalls his Thwackey, sending out Corvisquire now. She uses Power Trip, abusing the super effective move to do more damage and take Ponyta out faster. The Psychic Pokémon winces in pain, but keeps going.

“Psybeam!” Bede’s Psychic attacks are predictable, at least to you. You can easily see how Raboot or your own Corvisquire would dodge the attack. Hop’s Corvisquire does not, as Hop focuses on attacking, rather than dodging. She keeps going through the hit, taking Ponyta out with a final Dark move. “Gothita, finish her off!” Bede tosses out his next Pokémon after recalling Ponyta.

“Cora, she’s still a Psychic-type, keep using Power Trip!” Hop calls with a grin, punching his fist into the air. You have a bad feeling about the way Bede smiles in return.

“Thunderbolt!” Even you grimace at the attack Bede calls out. Hop deflates like a balloon, sagging as he watches Cora try to dodge the attack. She’s unsuccessful, and she’s sent hurtling to the ground from the hit. She doesn’t get back up.

“Not good.” Hop recalls Cora, and pulls out his last Pokéball. “I hope you’re ready for this,” he murmurs to the ball, before tossing it out, revealing Toxel. “Try using Acid!” The purple Pokémon runs up to Gothita, burping a Poison attack up on her. She winces, and Bede frowns.

“Hypnosis!” Bede shouts, and Gothita causes Toxel to fall asleep. Hop isn’t deterred, however, as this is the one Pokémon he has who has a way to make use of being asleep. Toxel knows Snore, and uses the move while asleep, hitting Gothita. Bede grits his teeth and clenches his fists, mad his plan was turned around on him.

Gothita tries to use Psybeam, but misses Toxel. She’s still bumbling around the impromptu battlefield despite being asleep, as Hop has practiced with her. She uses Snore again, and this time when Gothita goes down, she doesn’t get back up. “Good job, Toxel!” Hop cheers, and Toxel wakes up while Bede recalls his partner.

He grabs his last Pokémon, his Hatenna, and shouts, “Finish this quickly! I’ve already wasted enough time on weaklings,” as he tosses her ball out. Hop snorts, though he’s wearing a frown. It’s a close battle, you’re not sure Toxel can hold out against the stronger Pokémon. Hatenna is the faster Pokémon, and launches into battle with Psybeam.

Toxel is hit hard by the Psychic-type move. She’s barely hanging in there, and Hop frowns. “Rest!” He orders, and Toxel falls back asleep. She recovers herself though, ready to launch back into battle once more. Maybe Hop can make a comeback after all.

Hatenna goes for Psybeam again, but it misses Toxel. She’s hard to predict while asleep, as she moves patternlessly, zigzagging across the road to hit Hatenna with Snore. When Bede’s Pokémon misses a second time, he curses, “Shit, little thing’s actually putting up a fight. Use Heal Pulse!” Hatenna recovers her health, leaving both Pokémon evenly matched once more. Well, as evenly matched as a Poison-type can be against a Psychic-type. Which is to say, not very.

Hatenna finally lands a hit of Psybeam, but only barely. This wakes Toxel up as she’s sent barrelling backwards. “Toxel, hang in there! Try Belch this time!” Hop’s Pokémon uses the Poison attack on Hatenna, hitting her but not doing a whole ton of damage.

Hop’s going to lose this. “Psybeam again!” Bede calls, but Toxel dodges the attack. Hop sighs in relief, sending her back to Belch on their opponent once more. “Enough of this dodging! Use Disarming Voice and finish this!” Bede calls, and Hatenna blasts Toxel with an unavoidable attack. The hit knocks Toxel down to the ground, and she doesn’t get back up.

“No!” Hop shouts, frustratedly raking his hand through his hair. Bede’s gotten better since you last saw him, and Hop made some bad calls. It’s hard to watch your friend lose, but you see how he could have won. If he’d made better use of Thwackey, he could have taken back the lead, instead of falling further behind.

“The Champion must’ve really been off his rocker to endorse the likes of you two. Hop can’t even throw a Pokéball properly, and Kieran can’t even walk!” Bede taunts, which only riles Hop up more. “Really goes to show, he only endorsed you because you’re family, not because you’re any good.”

“Shut up! Lee endorsed both of us because of what he saw in us-” Hop cuts himself off, and looks over at you. He’s got a strange look on his face, like something awful is just dawning on him. “Lee’s the greatest Champion the Galar region has ever had! He wouldn’t-” Hop chokes on his own words, his hands balling into fists as he looks down to the ground.

“It’s always ‘Lee this’ or ‘Kieran that’ with you, Hop. Don’t you have anything of your own to show?” Bede flicks a hand through his hair with a cocky grin. Hop doesn’t seem to have an answer for that. He kind of sags at Bede’s words, and doesn’t lift his eyes from the ground. “You drag the Champion’s name through the mud, is what you do. Your skills are laughable at best. The Champion only endorsed you because you’re family.” Bede only laughs once, before turning and stalking off the way he’d come.

“Hop?” You call out, worried about your friend. He doesn’t answer right away; he stays standing there, staring at the ground for a while.

“He’s right… What do I have?” Hop’s voice is quiet, and you almost don’t catch it.

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. You beat Kabu! You are a talented trainer, Hop!” You try to cheer him up, and he finally looks up at you.

“Yet I can never beat you. Why? It’s not fair! You came here, out of nowhere, and just have this talent for Pokémon and battling! You barely have to work hard for it!” Hop looks angry, and you’re not sure who he’s angry at right now.

“What? I didn’t ask for this, Hop… And I still have to work plenty hard! You’ve seen me train, we’ve trained together! I’ve worked just as hard as you have! You have years of knowledge on me, Hop, and I have a special bond with Pokémon. It’s not fair to compare the two of us like that.” You frown at him, hurt that he’d throw your gift in your face like that.

“And look where all your hard work got you! Injured! Why won’t you just drop out?!” Hop yells, his face warping in anger.

“Can you please come off that? I’ve already justified why I’m continuing now. I’m going to continue. Stop trying to get me to stop.” You cross your arms and glare at him, but he’s unaffected.

“No! It’s because of your stupid bond with them that you got hurt to begin with, and it’s your stupid bond that keeps pushing you to do stupid things like the absolute _dimwit_ you are! Know when to quit!” Hop’s fists are shaking with anger as he turns to face you full on.

His words hurt you. “How could you say that? I thought we were friends?” Your voice chokes up for a moment, before you swallow and continue. “Why are you picking on me like this? Do you just want me to quit so I won’t be in your way?”

Hop looks offended. “No! I want you to quit so you don’t _die_ , you idiot!” Tears leak down his face, and he’s quick to brush them away with his hand.

You hadn’t really thought of the possibility of that. Well, you had, but not since you nearly died in the Wild Area. And your next task was to go back into the Wild Area. “Oh.” Now you see where Hop is coming from.

“You never lose! You can talk to Pokémon! And instead of using that for anything that would actually _benefit_ you, you’re using it to get yourself hurt! You don’t deserve it!” Hop spits, and the tears building in your eyes leak out and run down your cheeks.

“That’s so mean, Hop…” you hiccup, moving your arms from crossed to hugging yourself, rubbing your own arms.

“I’m taking you back to the Center,” Hop announces, marching over and grabbing your wheelchair. He begins hurriedly getting you back to the Center, and it’s clear from his silence that he doesn’t want to talk to you right now. Any attempt you make at conversation is ignored – not that you make many.

He drops you off and immediately leaves with a hurried, “I’m going back to the Inn, bye,” as he hands you off to a nurse. At least he didn’t leave you stranded out there.

“Bye, Hop!” You call out, but he doesn’t look back. He just runs out the front doors. You sigh as the nurse takes you back to your room. Something is bothering Hop that you don’t fully understand, and you wish he’d just talk to you about it instead of being like this. He seemed almost…scared, earlier, when confronting you.

You just wish he would talk to you.

Kabu comes to get you later in the evening, when you and Marnie have plans to train together. When you tell him about your spat with Hop, he sighs, “I had a talk with him this morning, too. It sounds like he still has much to sort out.”

You nod, and hug yourself. You miss your best friend. “He can’t trust me, now. So he won’t talk to me about what’s bothering him anymore. I ruined that trust by lying to him, and I don’t know how to make it up to him. I can’t apologize the way he wants me to, because I don’t really regret my decisions.”

“Hmm.” Kabu scratches his chin, but doesn’t say anything further, thinking over your words.

At the Stadium, you train with Marnie once more. It’s good training for both of you, she’s a strong trainer and your Pokémon all get along. You both learn a lot from each other, as well. You feel like you’re becoming closer with the quiet, straightforward girl.

“Are we friends?” She asks as the two of you are packing your things up in the change room after.

“I think so?” You shrug back at her, and she looks like she’s considering something.

“Ok. Then we’re friends,” she states, and her lips quirk up in the barest of a smile. It’s mostly in her eyes, though. You’re beginning to learn to read Marnie through her eyes and less from her face.

It brings a genuine smile to your face. “Yeah!” She shakes your hand, and you laugh a bit at the strange gesture.

“What?” She looks confused.

“I don’t think we have to shake on it or anything. Unless you wanted to, of course!” You don’t want to offend your new friend.

“Oh. Is that how it works? I don’t really know a lot about this.” Her words make your heart hurt, it sounds like she doesn’t have many friends despite the large number of fans she has.

“That’s ok, it works however you want it to work. There aren’t really rules for friendship, not unless we make them ourselves. We do what makes us feel comfortable and happy together.” You try your best to explain, and it seems like Marnie gets it as she nods once you’re finished.

“Ok, I think I get it now,” she concludes, zipping up her bag and swinging it onto her back. “I’ll text you later, then.” She waves, and you wave back. Kabu comes to take you back to the Center, and you settle in for another night of texting your new friend, Marnie.

Except, they’re letting you go. “There’s not much more you would benefit from staying here versus somewhere else. If you have nowhere to go, you’re free to stay, but if you’d like to leave, you may,” the doctor tells you, and Kabu smiles warmly at you.

“My, that’s wonderful news. Do you have a place to stay here?” Kabu asks, crouching down to be eye level with you.

“Uh, no, I was staying with Hop in the Budew Drop Inn. I don’t have a room of my own or anything.” You frown, looking down at the floor.

“I’m sure Leon could arrange something for you, if you ask him. If not, text me, and I can help you arrange somewhere comfier to stay,” Kabu offers, which brings a smile back to your face.

“Thank you,” you reply, and he rests a warm hand on your shoulder for a moment, before rising.

“Let’s get you to your room to collect your things while you text Leon.” Kabu gives your shoulder a final squeeze before he grabs the handlebars of your wheelchair and leads you back to your room. You take the opportunity to text Leon while in motion.

(Can I get a room of my own at the Budew Drop Inn?) **:You**

**Leon:** (Sure, everything ok between you and Hop?)

(Not really, why do you ask?) **:You**

**Leon:** (He was asking me some strange questions tonight.)

**Leon:** (I’m a little worried about him.)

(We had another fight today) **:You**

**Leon:** (Another?)

**Leon:** (Is everything alright?)

(I don’t know, Lee.) **:You**

**Leon:** (Well I’m here if you need anything.)

Leon’s kind offer doesn’t go unappreciated. You help Kabu put all your belongings back in your bag, and he offers to take you to the Budew Drop Inn.

Only, when there, you realize a problem. “There’s no ramp,” Kabu states, “I hadn’t even considered that.”

You sigh, “Shit. How do I get up there now?”

Kabu raises his eyebrows at your curse, but doesn’t say anything regarding it. “I can carry you up. Are your Pokémon able to carry the wheelchair?” Raboot and Corvisquire helpfully prove they can when Kabu gently lifts you out of the wheelchair. He’s strong, he picks you up bridal style and carries you easily to the top of the stairs. It’s kind of nice, being carried this way again. He sets you back in your wheelchair at the top, and helps you get checked in and settled into your room.

It’s wonderful to lay down in a bed that isn’t a hospital bed. It’s also nice to take a full bath in a big bathtub. Your Pokémon help you in and out of your wheelchair, as you still aren’t supposed to walk on your leg. You can at least put your weight on your good leg, so combined with your Pokémon, you’re able to get ready for bed without any hiccups.

As you curl into your bed, you pull out your phone to do some more texting. It’s lonely and quiet, and you’re still not used to the absence of Hop’s endless chatter. Due to this, you end up texting with Leon most of the night. He’s happy to listen to you vent your frustrations about the boy, offering some helpful insight at times. You fall asleep texting with the man, and have to respond in the morning.

You spend a while texting with Leon, before slowly getting ready for the day. You don’t really have any plans, so you can take your time with getting dressed and doing your exercises the doctors instructed you to do. Your Pokémon help you with everything, of course. They like being helpful, and they can tell how much pain you’re in. They want to do whatever they can to make your life easier. Raboot even pushes your wheelchair around for you, using your eyes to see where you’re going.

When you finally leave your suite, you’re surprised to see Marnie in the lobby. When she sees you, she purses her lips and pokes her fingers together nervously. You’re not sure why she’s acting so timidly, until she speaks up.

“I saw Hop leave for the Wild Area this mornin’.”

It takes you a moment to register. He left without you? “What?”

“I asked him where he was goin’ in such a hurry, and he said ‘Hammerlocke’. Thought you said the two of ya were goin’ together?” Marnie asks, tilting her head slightly.

“I thought so, too…” Your voice goes soft, and you begin to cry. It’s just slow tears trickling down your face at first, until the first sob – then, you’re sobbing uncontrollably in front of the poor girl. As you double over in your grief, she steps up to you and rubs your back. You sob into your hands, face nearly in your lap.

How could he just abandon you? Is this his way of trying to force you to quit, since you can’t do the Wild Area alone? “Is there anyone you can call?” Marnie asks, leaning forward so you can see her.

You have to think about it for a moment. It takes a bit for you to remember your conversation with Leon last night, and you think to call him. “Yeah, I can call Lee,” you sob, and Marnie nods.

“You should do that.” The girl takes a step back, stuffing her hands in her pockets. You pull out your Rotom-phone, and pull up Leon’s contact. When the phone begins to ring, Marnie nods to you and takes another step back. “Let me know if things don’t work out,” she calls, before turning and walking away. She doesn’t go very far, just to the opposite end of the lobby to sit on a bench.

Leon doesn’t pick up on the first call. It goes to his voicemail first, so you hang up and try again. The second time, he picks up. “Kieran, if this isn’t an emergency, I’m going to need you to call back later. I’m in the middle of a meeting,” is his greeting to you, and you sob before answering.

“Hop ditched me, he’s gone to the Wild Area without me.” You begin sobbing uncontrollably once more, barely able to keep your voice steady enough to get through your answer.

“Are you serious?” He asks, before quickly saying, “Excuse me a moment,” away from the line, likely to whoever he was in a meeting with. You hear a door close loudly before Leon continues. “He _left_? Because you’re fighting? Hang on, I’m going to try calling him. Hopefully he’s still in range of a cell tower. I’m putting you on hold,” Leon announces, and the line goes dead before you can get a word in.

You pull the phone away from your face and stare at it, but the line is still connected. He did indeed just put you on hold. You put the phone back to your ear to wait for Leon to take you off hold. You take the time to try to get your sobbing under control, but you’re pretty unsuccessful. You wait a while – Leon must have got a hold of Hop – and Leon’s cursing when he picks back up.

“Dammit Hop, that isn’t the point!” Leon roars suddenly, startling you.

“Leon?” You’re confused why he’s talking about Hop.

“Kieran?” He asks, voice dropping in volume, sounding caught off guard. “Shit, that kid hung up on me. I’m in Hammerlocke. Can you wait a few hours there? I’ll come to get you.”

“Come and get me?” You ask, sniffling.

“You can’t stay there in Motostoke alone, not as you are! I’ll come get you, and we can decide what to do from there,” Leon explains, and you nod before you realize he can’t see it.

“Right, ok, makes sense. I’ll just go back up to my hotel room then to wait?” It comes out as more of a question than a statement while you’re still trying to get your crying under control.

“Yes, that’s fine. I can come find you there.” It sounds like he’s on the move, you can hear background noise suggesting he’s in a different environment.

“What do I do, Leon?” You ask after a moment of trying to decipher what Leon might be doing.

“Just try to keep yourself occupied, ok? I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Leon promises, it sounds like he might be running. You hear the sound of a door opening, and then it sounds like Leon’s rummaging around for something. “Charizard! How do you feel about a midafternoon flight to Motostoke?” Leon asks his partner jovially.

You hear Charizard roar, and you fight back a sob. “Thank you,” you whisper into the line.

“Of course, I can’t just leave you there by yourself! I’m going to hang up now, I’ll see you in about two hours!” Leon calls into the phone, and you say your goodbyes before he hangs up.

Marnie walks over when she sees you put the phone away. “Wanna hang out with me? My bro’s runnin’ late, as usual.” Marnie crosses her arms, and mutters under her breath, “I bet he isn’t even awake yet.”

It brings a small smile to your face despite the grief you’re in. “I’d like that,” you thank her, and she wheels you back into the elevator. The two of you head back to your room, so Leon can – hopefully – find you. You get comfy on your bed together, and Marnie speaks up. “How’d ya meet the Champion and his brother, anyhow?”

“Well, I live in Postwick,” you choose carefully. Marnie only narrows her eyes at you, seeing through you.

“Why’d ya move there? You’re not from there, or ya’d talk like ‘em,” Marnie prods, and you laugh nervously.

“I, uh, this is gonna sound strange, but I didn’t really have a choice? I woke up in the Slumbering Weald one day, and Hop found me. His family has been taking care of me ever since,” you explain, looking to Marnie nervously.

She just nods, and her eyes widen like she’s realized something. “Oh, _you’re_ the one.” There’s a smile in her eyes, even though she herself doesn’t smile.

“I’m the one what?” You ask, confused.

“Nevermind,” she snickers, changing the topic. “Where ya from really, then? And be honest, I know you ain’t from Unova.”

“Uh.” Your shoulders scrunch up to your ears. “You’re _really_ not going to believe me this time, but… I’m from a world that doesn’t have Pokémon in it. One day I just… Woke up here, instead of my own world.” You look over to Marnie nervously, and her eyes have gone wide.

“You’re right, that sounds pretty unbelievable,” she agrees, hand covering her mouth in surprise.

“I don’t really know how to convince you, I’m not sure how I really convinced Hop and his family. But where I’m from, we have…animals, instead of Pokémon. They can’t do the cool things Pokémon can do, and they’re nowhere near as smart. But a lot of the other stuff is the same. If you have questions, I can answer them.” You watch Marnie slowly look less surprised as you speak, and she nods along by the end.

“I have many.” She keeps you occupied with questions until Leon texts you that he’s in Motostoke. “We should get ya down to the lobby, more likely to find ya there,” Marnie states, hopping off the bed.

She helps you pack all your belongings, since you don’t think you’ll be coming back up here, and takes you down to the lobby. You call Leon once you’re there. “I’m waiting in the lobby. Where are you?” You ask as he picks up.

“I, uh, I’m still trying to find the Budew Drop Inn. I’ll be there…soon?” He doesn’t sound very confident, and you sigh.

“Ok.” At least Marnie offers to wait with you. Back in the lobby, the weight of your best friend ditching you comes back full force, and you find yourself crying again. Marnie rubs your back once more, and Raboot hops into your lap to try to offer some additional comfort. You burry your face into his soft fur as you sob uncontrollably.

“Guess I ran out of ways to distract ya. Sorry,” Marnie apologises, and you reach up and squeeze her upper arm.

“No,” you hiccup, “thank you for,” you hiccup again, “keeping me,” another hiccup, “distracted so long.” And back to full sobs, as Marnie continues to rub your back.

“Is this ok?” She asks, and you can only nod through the crying.

Eventually, Leon finds the Inn. “Kieran!” You hear him call as he enters, dashing up the stairs to get to you. “Are you alright?” He takes a knee in front of you, hands resting on both arm rests of your wheelchair.

You shake your head, and Leon pulls you into a hug. The hug eventually becomes him pulling you into his arms, as you sob against his chest. He picks you up, and you hear Marnie state, “I got her chair,” as Leon carries you down the stairs. He sets you gently back into your chair once at the bottom.

“Thank you, Marnie. Still waiting on your brother?” Leon turns to Marnie, and she nods.

“Late as ever,” she returns with a sigh. Leon puts a hand on her shoulder and gives it a squeeze.

“Good luck with the Wild Area, kiddo,” Leon comforts, before waving and taking off with you. You’re still sobbing pretty hard, so Leon rubs one hand against your back for a bit as he pushes you. “I have to head back to Wyndon, so I’m taking you with me for now. I hope you’re ok with that,” Leon assumes, and you’re barely able to nod.

It doesn’t really matter where you end up right now. You just don’t want to be alone, and you’re glad Leon is willing to take you somewhere, anywhere, that isn’t here. Leon wheels you to the train quietly, letting you sob it out. He occasionally rubs your back, and it takes you far longer than it should to get to the train because Leon gets lost. By the time you’ve arrived at the station, you’ve mostly cried yourself out.

Leon buys you both tickets, and you have to recall Corvisquire back into his ball. Raboot wants to stay out, however, and Leon’s able to make an exception for him. “He’s small enough, and he’s very well behaved,” Leon promises the attendant, who reluctantly allows Raboot onboard.

Leon gets on a car that has private rooms. The hallway down the car to the rooms is too narrow for your wheelchair, however, so it’s folded up to fit while Leon carries you in his arms once more. You cling to him; being held like this is very comforting right now. Once in your room, he lays you down on one of the comfy benches. He sits opposite you, and removes his cape, draping it over your body.

The first thing you notice is how soft it feels. The trim feels so nice against your skin, so you pull it tight against you, snuggling into it. It’s warm, too, and heavier than it looks. It smells like him, as well. You were already so tired from all the crying, Leon’s warm cape enveloping you like this causes you to start drifting off.

You watch Raboot hop up onto the bench beside Leon. There’s no table in this room, just the two benches across from each other. There is a wide window you can look out, though your eyes are more drawn to Leon. He’s watching you with a sad look on his face, and he reaches out and tucks a lock of your hair behind your ear when your eyes meet.

“Are you alright?” His voice is soft and smooth as he leans forward to talk to you.

You shake your head, and Leon sighs. He continues to run his fingers through your hair until the train begins to move, which is quite a while. You’re not sure how long, exactly, as you doze in and out of sleep. Leon keeps running his fingers comfortingly through your hair, even as he eventually pulls out his Rotom-phone and scrolls on it.

Raboot curls up in Leon’s lap and naps as the train rolls through green hills. You watch idly out the window, Leon’s hand comforting you as you tug his cape right up under your chin. “I’m sorry, I feel partially responsible for this,” Leon speaks up after all the silence between you two. You open your eyes further and look at him. He’s put his phone away, and is looking at you with a sad look in his golden eyes.

“How are you responsible?” You ask, genuinely curious. You can’t see how Leon would have anything to do with why you and Hop are fighting.

“I made him promise to take care of you. To travel the Gym Challenge with you. I shouldn’t have forced him to do that, and I’m sorry if it put a strain on your friendship as a result.” Leon’s eyes waver as he speaks, and you can see his regret within them. He really wears his heart on his sleeve, and is surprisingly easy to read.

“Oh.” You hadn’t realized Hop was only staying with you because of a promise to his big brother. No, that can’t be right, can it? Hop had seemed like he really wanted to stay by your side because he was your friend. Maybe you had only been hoping for that? He did call you his best friend, however. “But… He told me we were best friends. I thought he was travelling with me because he wanted to…” you mumble, and Leon frowns.

“I’m sorry,” he repeats, his hand moving to your shoulder, rubbing up and down your arm to comfort you. “He’s so impatient, always has been, it wasn’t fair of me to ask that of him.”

“I thought he really wanted to travel with me…” You sob, and Leon squeezes your arm.

“I’ll go with you through the Wild Area. You can’t very well do it alone, certainly not in your condition. Even if you weren’t injured, I still would be uncomfortable with the idea of you travelling alone in the Wild Area. You’re not from here, and you don’t know enough. I’d worry too much about you getting injured. It’s easier if I just go with you,” Leon explains his kind offer, and you nod through your tears.

“Ok,” you reply. It sounds nice, spending time with Leon. You just wish Hop could be there, too. Another sob wracks you as more tears fall from your eyes. “I miss him… I wish he was here…”

“I know,” Leon answers, his hand continuing to comfort you.

“Maybe if I hadn’t lied to him… Maybe he’d still be willing to travel with me…” You screw your eyes shut and rub at them with the hand not gripping Leon’s cape.

“Lied to him?” Leon asks incredulously. “What did you lie about?”

“I told him-” you hiccup, then take a deep breath to steady your voice. “I told him, in Turffield, that it was safe for me to challenge the Gym, when I had been told it was not.”

Something flashes in Leon’s eyes, and he looks angry for a moment before running his free hand over his face. “No, you’ve suffered enough, no point getting worked up over that,” he mutters to himself, shaking his head. His hand travels up and through his hair, knocking his hat off his head. He doesn’t move to pick it up off the floor, either, so Raboot helpfully hops down and grabs it for him. “Oh, thank you.” He looks over at Raboot with wide eyes, as if not expecting it, but takes his hat back from the Pokémon regardless. “Why?” Leon asks as he stares down at his hat in his hands.

“So I could stay by Hop’s side. Initially, that was why I decided to lie to him. And I really wanted to do it, I thought it would be fine. I told myself I’d be careful, and that everything would work out fine. Then, it obviously didn’t. But at that point I knew… I knew that if I stopped, I’d fall into that old depression again. It would take too long to heal, and it would never heal properly… So I decided to keep doing the Gym Challenge. Which meant lying to Hop every time he asked about my leg.” Leon watches you with careful eyes as you explain. He looks a cross between worried and disappointed.

“You kept getting hurt, which only led you to push yourself harder,” Leon surmises, and you nod.

“That’s right. Hop was helping me with everything that was too challenging, and I’m used to living in constant pain. Sure, it fucking sucks to be disabled again here, but I have no one to blame but myself. And now, I know from experience where sitting shit out gets me, so I’m not going to do that. I’m going to try my best to get as far as I can, and prove I don’t need to be as physically capable as everyone else to battle on the same level as them.” You speak with a passion you didn’t realize you have. Leon looks surprised, but a smile creeps onto his face slowly.

“I haven’t seen determination like that in years. I want to see you succeed, K. If this is the path you’re choosing for yourself, I’ll do my best to support you. It takes courage to press on in the face of your mistakes. And I’ve seen you battle, I’m glad you’re not giving up. You’re at least going to wait to do the Wild Area until you can walk, though, right?” Leon scratches the back of his head, and looks at you with concern.

“Yeah, obviously. It would be pretty hard to do it in this condition. But as soon as I can walk again, I want to go.” Your sobs are dying down, and it’s nice to have the support of someone on your side.

“Whoa, hold up there. I still need to get the time off to take you! Ordinarily, it takes the average trainer four to five days to get through it their first time. You’re slower due to your injury, so that’s going to add time. I wish I could say that with my knowledge of the Wild Area, we’ll travel faster, but I’m known for getting completely lost out there, so it’s best not to trust my directions. At all. Ever. Don’t, if I say something looks familiar, I am 100% wrong, every time. Do not trust me,” Leon laughs, and it brings a smile to your face. Leon beams when he sees you smile. “There! Finally starting to feel better now?”

You nod a little. “Yes, thank you. So how long will it take us, then?”

“I’m not sure, I want to say a week to give us the extra time to travel safely? I plan on asking for a week off, but that all depends on how Rose is feeling, if I get it or not, and when,” Leon explains, with a slightly frustrated look on his face.

“Might Rose not grant it?” You ask worriedly, furrowing your eyebrows in concern.

“No, things are pretty slow right now with the Gym Challenge taking up everyone’s attention. He’ll likely grant it. It’s just a matter of when, it might not be right away. Will you be ok if you have to wait a while in Wyndon with me?” Leon tucks a lock of hair behind your ear as he asks, looking at you intently.

“Uh, sure, I guess. Not like I have a choice, anyways. Where will I be staying?” You feel a blush begin to creep onto your cheeks as Leon’s hand lingers there longer than it needs to.

“With me, obviously!” Leon booms, and you feel that blush on your cheeks quickly darken.

“With you?!” Staying with the Champion, in his home in Wyndon? It’s exiting for sure, but it also makes you nervous. What is his place like? You suppose there isn’t much reason to fret right now, you’ll see it when you arrive in Wyndon.

“Yes, I have a few guest rooms in my house. You can stay in one while you recover, and while we wait for my time off.” Leon runs his fingers through your hair, before moving his hand back to your shoulder.

This is something you’ve noticed about the pair of brothers – both are very physically affectionate. They both are constantly reaching out to touch you. It’s comforting, you’ve never really had that kind of a relationship in your life. It’s nice to be held and touched so often. You miss cuddling with Hop, in fact. You two used to cuddle together every night, it’s been weird going without.

Thinking of Hop brings tears back to your eyes. “Oh, Kieran,” Leon sighs, his hand rubbing your arm again.

“I miss him so much, Lee,” you whisper, and Leon’s face softens.

“I know. Is there anything I can do for you?” He pets your head, looking into your eyes.

You think on it for a moment. You miss being held, would Leon be willing to do that? “Hop would always hold me when I was upset,” you start, and Leon smiles softly at you. It seems he’s getting the idea already. “Would you, um,” it’s embarrassing to ask, so you’re relieved when Leon wordlessly gets up and comes to your bench. You sit up to make room for him, and he pulls you into his arms.

He pulls your head into his chest, and wraps an arm around your waist, holding you snuggly against him. He’s warm, and he feels solid and safe. You cling to his shirt, letting sobs wrack through you for a while. Leon only strokes your hair and rubs your back, quietly letting you cry yourself out.

You don’t even mean to fall asleep in his arms like that, but at some point you do. You’re out like a light when Leon pulls you fully into his lap, cuddling your body tightly against his own.

“I’ll protect you, I promise.” You remember the words, but you aren’t sure if you really heard them, or only dreamt them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the new longest chapter at 7.4k words. Originally it was not but then I decided to actually make a fight with Bede and Hop.
> 
> I love that Kabu is just meddling in everyone’s lives like the true father figure he is. I literally refer to every scene with him as “Daddy Kabu Scene Here” so you guys have to understand how memey my notes are. 90% of the time when I write them I’m intoxicated in some form or another and can’t make any sense of them later. I wish I could show you guys, I can’t even READ these. These chapters are mostly ad-libbed because my notes are fucking useless. I’m sorry they’re kind of a rambley mess but I’m a rambley mess of a human so it’s reflective of the author.
> 
> Also this train scene was like, one of those scenes I talked about before. It’s one of the first ones I thought up, one of the ones that drove me to make this into an actual story. I NEVER THOUGHT I’D GET TO WRITE IT. I’M SO GLAD I FINALLY GOT TO WRITE IT. GUYS, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW LONG I’VE BEEN WAITING TO WRITE THIS SCENE. YA’LL BITCHES BETTER HAVE ENJOYED IT.
> 
> I am in horrible pain so it's time for me to go die god bless.


	36. Chapter Thirty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna say we're like 1/4 or 1/3 of the way through the story with this.
> 
> Thanks to Ember564 and Audzilla28 you guys are the best betas.

You wake up as the train pulls into Wyndon. Leon still has one arm around you, holding you to his chest, as he plays around on his phone with the other hand. You can see that he’s texting someone, so you look away from the phone to be polite.

“You’re up?” Leon’s gruff voice draws your attention, and you look to his face.

“Mmm,” you nod and sleepily rub your eyes. Leon chuckles, his hand rubbing your back.

“We’ve arrived in Wyndon, most beautiful city in all of Galar!” Leon boasts, and you have to laugh.

“Well, can’t wait to see it, then!” Turns out, it’s really not that much different than any other city you’ve seen back home. “Uh, not to be offensive, but this city really isn’t that special, Leon.” He’s dragged you out into downtown, leading you out of the station by pushing your wheelchair.

“What? What do you mean?” Leon asks, sounding offended. “It’s so much different from every other city here!”

“And exactly like every city where I’m from, I’m already over it,” you comment with a smile, turning back in your chair to look at him. He looks less offended as a small smile creeps onto his face.

“Well, I’d offer to get you to my place faster on Charizard’s back, but I’m not sure what we’d do with the wheelchair then! I can’t believe I don’t get to show you around,” Leon laments, shaking his head.

“Really? You were going to show me around? That’s not an excuse to cover for getting lost on the way back to your own home?” You raise an eyebrow at Leon, and he barks out a laugh.

“Ok, caught red handed!” Leon digs out one of his Pokéballs. “The least I can do is get Charizard to lead the way, then!” He tosses out Charizard’s Pokéball, and he joins your two Pokémon as he appears in front of you. “Alright, my friend, think you can lead us back home?”

Charizard is confused why Leon doesn’t just fly home on his back. _We’re not sure how to bring the wheelchair that way,_ you let him know through your bond with him as Leon pushes you closer to the large Pokémon.

_I could carry it, it does not look heavy,_ comes Charizard’s reply, so you turn to Leon and inform him of this. “Charizard suggested that he could carry the wheelchair.”

“Oh, right, I suppose he could, couldn’t he?” Leon chuckles as he reaches up to scratch his Pokémon’s head. “What would I do without you, my friend?” _You’d be permanently lost,_ Charizard thinks, and you laugh.

Leon loads you onto Charizard’s back first, and Charizard grabs your wheelchair. Raboot hops onto Corvisquire’s back, as Corvisquire wants to be helpful too. It’s probably good practice for Corvisquire, you think, to fly with someone on his back. When he evolves, he’ll be big enough for you to ride on, and you can finally start training him to fly with you. You wouldn’t have to walk so much anymore!

When Leon hops up behind you, and wraps his arms around you to grab onto Charizard, your face flushes brightly. “Excited to be flying again?” Leon asks as he leans into you. “Wrap your arms around Charizard’s neck and lean down, I’ll keep a good grip on you so you don’t fall,” Leon instructs, pushing gently against your back to get you to follow his instructions. You wrap your arms around Charizard’s thick neck, and one of Leon’s arms snakes around your waist, holding you tightly, while the other joins yours wrapping around Charizard’s neck. It bring a blush to your face, being held so tightly by Leon like this, but you don’t have long to dwell on it before Charizard is taking off.

Once again, it’s too short of a trip. It’s exhilarating to be in the air like this, and being held so tightly and so close to Leon is definitely an added bonus. It’s hard to deny you’ve got quite the crush forming on the man who saved your life.

Really, it’s pretty unfair that you’ve got it so bad for the pair of brothers.

Corvisquire is keeping pace just fine with Charizard, but you know that’s only because Charizard is going slower to account for the Pokémon following him. Corvisquire is struggling a little with Raboot, but they seem to be getting the hang of it. They’re flying directly on top of your group, in case Raboot falls off. At this distance, Charizard is confident he can catch Raboot easily, making sure he won’t get hurt. It’s a relief to you, so you don’t have to concentrate as hard on your Pokémon.

Wyndon does look prettier from up here in the air. You can see a massive ferris wheel, and a tall tower looming over the rest of the city. Charizard flies in the direction of the residential side of town, taking the two of you back to Leon’s home. “Rose tower catch your eye?” Leon’s voice in your ear sends a shiver down your spine, though that could also be because he mentioned Rose’s name.

“And the ferris wheel, too,” you point out, grimacing at the fact that Rose named a tower after himself.

“Would you like to go on it, sometime? I can certainly take you while we’re here,” Leon offers, and you light up at that.

“Yes! I’d love to go! Hop mentioned there’s a castle here too.” It might be pushing it to ask to go see both, but Leon only laughs.

“Oh he told you about that? Want to see that, too?” Leon asks, the feeling of his breath on your ear giving you goosebumps. Or maybe that’s just the feeling of the cold air blowing past you.

“Yeah! If it isn’t too much trouble,” you reply – you don’t want to be such an inconvenience on the man who’s going so far out of his way for you.

“Not at all! I don’t work every waking hour of the day, I’ll have plenty of time to take you to whatever you’d like to go see!” Leon booms, squeezing you with the arm around your waist.

“That sounds wonderful, thank you.” Your voice is drowned out by the wind, you hope Leon heard you. He doesn’t respond, but that may be because Charizard is on the way down. Corvisquire follows suit, getting the hang of this flying with someone on his back thing. He’s always had pretty good control in the air, able to perform tricks and dives, dodging attacks with ease while flying. You’re happy to know that skill translates into flying with others on his back.

Charizard lands in the front yard of a large, beautiful home. Of course the Champion would have such a nice house; you’re already amazed and you haven’t even seen the inside yet. Leon helps you down off Charizard, though carries you into the house instead of putting you back in your wheelchair due to the stairs up to his door. It’s always so nice to be carried by Leon, so you’re not about to complain. Charizard does tease you through your bond, though.

The inside of Leon’s home is even prettier than the outside. It looks like one of those show homes in fancy neighborhoods where you’re from. “Welcome to my home!” Leon announces as he carries you into a living room area, and sets you down on a couch. “Feel free to make yourself at home, and let me know if there’s anything I can do for you. I’ve got to make some calls, but I’m going to order us some dinner first. It’s late, and I’m starving!” Leon pulls out his Rotom-phone. “Anything in particular you’d like? I really couldn’t care what I eat.”

It’s easy to pick what you want when Leon is the least fussy person in the world about food. He assures you that you can order whatever you want, he’ll eat whatever, so you order things you know you like from an app on Leon’s phone. While you’re ordering, Leon lets the rest of his Pokémon out of their balls. From what you’ve seen of the house so far, the hallways have been wide and the ceilings tall, and you realize that’s the intention, so Leon’s Pokémon can have free range of the home. It brings a smile to your face, that Leon would get a home all his Pokémon can comfortably live in.

It’s not very homey, though. There’s no photos, no knickknacks, nothing that offers any personality to the home. It’s like he let the interior designers do their thing, and never made any changes. Everything is simple and bare, with pieces of boring art hanging on walls instead of family photos. After seeing Leon’s family home, that looks gorgeous while also being very homey, it’s weird to be here where it hardly feels like Leon lives at all.

“Ok, food is on the way! I have some calls to make now, if you need anything, my Pokémon should be able to help you out until I get back!” Leon calls before departing the room, leaving you alone with his Pokémon. You watch TV until Leon brings the food in when it arrives half an hour later.

Leon hands out the food to all the Pokémon first, and you watch on as he tries to sort out the orders for each individual Pokémon. Eventually, he joins you on the couch with your two meals. “Ah, I’m starving! It’s nice to have someone to eat with, for a change, though!” Leon begins shoveling his food into his mouth, and you can’t help but giggle.

“Yeah, I agree, after eating meals alone the last few days, it’s nice to be in company again,” you reply, thinking about how you always used to eat with Hop.

Leon takes a deep breath, and sighs, “Hop will come around. Just be patient with him.”

You nod, and turn back to your food. Leon changes the channel, putting on a live battle going on in Hoenn. “They’re going through their version of All-Stars right now, the ‘Hoenn Elite Cup’. Some spectacular matches, really,” Leon informs, smile bright on his face as he talks about his biggest passion – battling.

In fact, he talks about the Hoenn Elite Cup and all his favourite Trainers in it all night, including his favourite to win it, Steven. “Him and Wallace trade off Champion so often, but I hope Steven takes back his title this year. We’ve been swapping training tips all year! He better kick Wallace’s arse now!” Leon laughs, and it’s interesting to learn that Leon is close with the Champions of other regions, even if he cannot travel there and meet them.

“It’s cool you guys are close! It must be hard, though, you must want to battle with him.” You can imagine what that’s like, you’d had long distance friendships back where you came from. People you’d never met face to face, who lived far away, but you were still very close with. A sad look crosses Leon’s face that you recognize; you’ve hit the nail on the head.

“I really do. I hope a way to cross the Weather Wall is discovered one day. It would be nice to travel to other regions.” Leon looks out across the room, and you rub his arm comfortingly. You hope the gesture is ok – he’s been touchy with you before. When he wraps an arm around you waist and pulls you into him, you’re assured the gesture is appreciated.

Eventually, Leon takes you upstairs to one of his guest rooms. He helps you get ready for bed, including helping you with your leg exercises and stretches. You thank him and wish him goodnight when you’re done, and he ruffles your hair gently in return. You sleep well in the large, comfortable bed, and so do your Pokémon. There’s enough room for all three of you to sprawl, but Raboot still chooses to cuddle up in your arms.

You’re woken up early the next day by Leon. “I have to head in to work now.” He gently shakes you awake, his face level with yours as he kneels beside the bed. “I’ve left most of my Pokémon here, they can help you with whatever you need. Text me if you want me to order you food. I should be back about mid-afternoon. Sorry to wake you so early, try to get some more rest if you can,” Leon sympathizes, running a hand through your hair once before getting up. The gesture leaves you blushing, but you hope Leon doesn’t notice in the darkness of the room.

Leon’s Pokémon are all very kind and helpful, much like the man himself. They help you get ready for the day, and help you cook up some form of an edible breakfast for all of you. Leon, thankfully, has a pretty well stocked kitchen, and his Pokémon help you find where everything is. You spend the time until Leon returns poking around in his home, with the aide of his Pokémon. You don’t go into anything Leon’s Pokémon know Leon wouldn’t want you poking your nose into, but there’s more than enough in the rest of Leon’s home to keep you occupied.

Your own Pokémon are pretty occupied, too. Raboot is happy to be reunited with his old friend Sobble, who is now a Drizzile. You have to get your Pokédex to tell you this, and you’re thankful you have the app. Raboot and Drizzile play together, and the shy Water Pokémon slowly warms up to Corvisquire. The three get on well together, and it’s nice to see your Pokémon getting along with another Pokémon.

You’ve been trying to get a third Pokémon, you really have, but your Pokémon are both very picky about the other Pokémon they like. They both have such loud personalities, wanting to be the very best, and it chases off a lot of potential partners. You don’t want to compromise, though; you want your third Pokémon to be one that Raboot and Corvisquire will get on with like they do with Drizzile, or Hop’s Pokémon, or Marnie’s Pokémon. You know there are Pokémon out there that your Pokémon will love, you just have to be patient and find them. Hopefully soon, as the Gym Challenge is getting more difficult with only two Pokémon.

One of the rooms you check out is Leon’s other guest room. While yours had been empty sans an extra set of bedding in the closet, the other one is full of someone’s stuff. It’s too small to be Leon’s, and it takes you a bit to realize that it’s likely all Hop’s stuff, and that this is probably the room Hop stays in when he comes to stay with Leon. Hop did mention he frequently comes and stays with his brother here.

You hear Leon get home as you’re poking around in his video game collection in the basement. Another thing the brothers had in common. You wonder how much of it is familial, and how much of it is Hop idolizing his older brother. “I’m home,” Leon calls loudly, and you hear his thunderous footsteps through the floor above. The man is not quiet by any means.

“Downstairs!” You call back, and you hear Leon’s feet pounding down the stairs shortly after. To his credit, he seems only mildly surprised to see you on the back of his Dragapult, digging through his game collection.

“Ah, I see you managed to entertain yourself! Try any you like? It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to play!” Leon comes and takes a seat on the comfy couch not far from the TV.

“Not yet, I’ve only been looking through them so far! I was going to play one, though,” you mention as Dragapult flies over to the couch. Leon pets the Dragon, then helps you off his back and onto the couch beside him. “Could always use a suggestion,” you hint, and nudge him in the side.

Leon laughs, and gets up from the couch. “If you’re asking me to throw on my favourite, I can do that!” He digs out a game, pops it into the console, and grabs the controller, then sinks back into the couch beside you. Close enough to be pressed right up against you, too. He hands you the controller with a bright smile on his face. “It’s a single player game, but I don’t mind watching you play!”

Leon is a horrible back-seat gamer. He’s constantly trying to give you directions and help you play, to the point of annoyance. It’s an adventure-style game, and you are enjoying it, even if Leon is constantly telling you where to go and ruining the sense of adventure. At a tough boss fight, Leon wraps his arms around you to put his hands over yours on the controller, to try and help you. All it does is distract you, though, as he rests his chin on your head and engulfs you with his body. You blush brightly, praying Leon doesn’t notice as you let Leon control your hands.

He doesn’t let go when the two of you win. He keeps his hands there, and continues to “help” you play. He’s basically playing at this point, and you’re just a puppet. It’s hard to mind as much with his strong arms around you. He’s warm, and he smells good; the way his hair tumbles around you tickles. You two stay this way right up until supper, and it’s only Leon’s loudly growling stomach that informs you of the time.

“Well, look at the time! It’s so late already! And I wanted to take you around the city today, too. Oh, I guess I still can! I’ll take you out to dinner!” Leon decides, getting up from the couch and taking you with him in his arms. You squeal out in surprise, which only makes Leon laugh.

You and Leon collect your Pokémon and get ready for dinner. Leon has to put you back in your wheelchair once outside the house, as he intends to walk you there. Leon changes into some street clothes and braids his hair back, so he won’t be recognized and stopped. “I’d rather not spend most of the night entertaining the masses. I need time off to enjoy myself, too!” He explains while you watch him tie back his hair.

Unsurprisingly, Leon gets you two horribly lost trying to find the place, so you have to pull up the GSP location on your phone and direct him. It is nice to see the city, though, and to spend so much time with Leon. He’s easy to talk to, easy to spend time with, and the two of you seem to have a lot in common.

He’s easy to fall in love with, too.

You try to remind yourself, he’s the Champion – you don’t have a shot in hell with him. You don’t even know if he’s single. It’s so easy to hope, though.

You’re still thinking about him as you drift off to sleep that night. Leon wakes you again in the morning to inform you of him leaving for work again. Your morning routine is the same as it was yesterday, only this time when you’re done, you’re not really sure what to do. You text Leon and ask him if you’re allowed to leave the house with the aide of the Pokémon, and he tells you that you can.

Leon’s Dragapult pushes you around the city. The Pokémon Leon left behind come with you, too, so you decide to go to the Stadium, and maybe get some practice in. The staff there let you in no problem when they recognize Leon’s Pokémon with you and you inform them of the situation. It’s kind of exciting to get to train with Leon’s Pokémon, and you’re thankful they all listen to you so well. They were under pretty strict orders from Leon to do so, though, and it helped that you could bond with them.

You have Dragapult, Haxorus, Mr. Rime, and Drizzile, along with your two. Dragapult, Haxorus, and Mr. Rime are all much stronger than Drizzile, Raboot, and Corvisquire, so the former three serve more as training dummies than anything. You don’t neglect training with the three of them, though, and work with them to learn how you should be using them.

There are other trainers here, too. Not Gym Challengers, either, these are people who have already done the Gym Challenge. A few come over and ask about the Pokémon, recognizing Leon’s and wondering why they’re with you. You offer explanations freely, as you don’t want anyone thinking you stole them or something. No one gives you any trouble about it, however, nor do they give you any trouble about the wheelchair.

You have a couple battles with Leon’s Pokémon against these trainers, winning every one. Leon’s Pokémon are a right force, as you would expect of the Champion’s Pokémon. Even in your less skilled hands, they do well against the trainers here.

Leon meets you at the Stadium sometime after lunch. “How’s the training going?” He asks as he jogs up to you. He’s got the rest of his team with him, so he takes back his Pokémon from you.

“Well! It’s good practice for Raboot to train with Drizzile again. They’ve missed each other, too.”

“Of course they have! They spent a lot of time together during All Stars! The three of them grew quite close.” Leon watches Raboot and Drizzile playing together, smiling at the Pokémon.

“Oh, and I had a few battles with some of the other Trainers here, too. I used your Pokémon, they were ok with it. I hope you don’t mind.” You probably should have asked if it was ok for you to do so first, you realize now.

Leon doesn’t seem upset, however. “How well did you do?” He asks with a grin.

“I won every one,” you answer, and Leon’s smile only widens.

“Have you lost a match yet?” Leon asks, a bit incredulously. You shake your head, and he laughs. “I can’t wait to fight you, once you reach my level. I’m sure that will be one incredible match!” Leon ruffles your hair again, and you try to shove his hand away with a laugh.

“Don’t mess up my hair,” you whine.

Leon only laughs louder, moving his hand down to give your shoulder a squeeze. “Alright, would you like to train together for a while, then?”

Training? With Leon? That sounds incredible to you. “Yeah! I’d like that,” you inform, and Leon nods, rounding up his Pokémon to communicate the training plan with them. You forget for a moment that Leon can’t just talk to his Pokémon like you can, and would need them to be close to actually receive orders. You had been able to instruct each Pokémon individually and from a distance.

Leon trains with you for a while, and it’s valuable to pick up tips from the Champion. He gives them so freely, much like how he helped you with the video game last night. You're grateful for the training, and you’re sure to thank Leon when you’re done.

You all head back to Leon’s place after, climbing onto Charizard to fly the two of you home. After getting comfortable, Leon offers to order food in for dinner. “No way! You’ve got food here, let’s cook something!” You argue, leaning over Dragapult’s head to speak with Leon. You get along well with Dragapult, and he’s agile enough to move around with you on his back. He’s become your legs around Leon’s home while yours don’t fully function.

“Alright, we can cook something. I’m right bollocks at it, though,” Leon warns, digging around in the fridge for food to cook. He’s correct, he’s absolutely terrible at it, but at least what you end up making is edible. It’s not too bad, either. You’re getting better at this.

“You’re gonna burn it! You gotta stir it!” You smack Leon with a spatula as he messes up; you have to continually remind him what to do.

“Ow!” Leon mocks being hurt, grabbing his arm where you hit him. “I’m trying my best!” Leon moves to stir the dish you’re pointing at, and you get back to what you were trying to do before; Leon is a horrible distraction. After dinner and clean up, you and Leon chill out on the couch with some tea before bed. He pulls you into him as he throws on some old movie, though neither of you pay much attention to it. You’re too bust talking to each other.

Once again, Leon is on your mind all night as you try to sleep. Once again, you’re awoken by Leon informing you of him leaving the next morning. “Could you please let me sleep in tomorrow?” You beg, and Leon gently pets your head. It’s hard enough that the man keeps you up at night, and he has to wake you early each day, too?

“Sure, I’ll leave a note instead. Sorry to wake you,” he apologizes, then leaves to head to his job of being Champion. He’s told you a bit about what it all entails over the last couple days, so you have a better understanding of what the man has to do; it sounds like quite the workload.

You meet Leon at the Ferris Wheel when he’s done work; you plan to ride it, then go see the castle. He’s late, of course, but you expected that. At least with him being the Champion, you get a whole basket to yourselves. Raboot can stay out with the two of you and watch, as he’s more excited for this than you are. You remind him that he’s afraid of heights, but he doesn’t seem to care.

You have to leave your wheelchair behind, obviously, so Leon picks you up to load you into the basket. Instead of sitting opposite you on the other bench, he sits down beside you. The bench is wide enough for him to not sit as close as he does. Raboot hops up on the opposite bench and presses his face against the glass, eager to look out at the world.

_You hated Tower Bridge, you sure you’re going to be ok with this?_ You’re worried about your Pokémon, but he blows you off again, so there’s really not much more you can do. He’s certain he’ll be fine.

“Have you ever been on a Ferris Wheel before?” Leon asks as the basket begins to move.

“Yeah, I have. I love them, I love getting to see so much. I went on a really big one over a city like this once when I was on vacation.” You’re pressing your face against the glass as much as Raboot is, even though you can’t see much of anything yet.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been on one, myself. It’s nice to get to take a bit of a vacation in my own city, with you here,” Leon laughs lightly, and it’s a sweet, warm sound. He slips an arm behind you and around your waist as he leans towards the window to get a better look outside. He’s so close, you can smell the cologne he uses, and combining with the proximity of him, it makes you dizzy. He puts his other hand against the window to support himself, effectively trapping you there between him and the window.

It’s hard to take your eyes off him, even harder when his eyes meet yours. It feels like all you can see is molten gold, he’s so impossibly close. You can hardly concentrate. Raboot falls over backwards, dizzy because you’re dizzy. It feels like you could lean forward just a bit and you’d be kissing. You almost do.

Leon begins talking about what you can see from the window, and it’s the only thing that stops you. He looks really good with his hair tied back, it’s hard to pull your eyes away from him to look at what he’s pointing to. You can barely understand his words, though – you’re too distracted by him.

“You doing ok?” He asks, and this registers with you, only because his hand moves from the window to cup your face. He pulls your head to look closely at you. “You’re all red, and you’re swaying while sitting there, and we aren’t even being jostled that much.” You’re afraid he might be onto you, and a small gasp leaves you without your intention. “Do you have a fever?”

It’s…not the question you were expecting. So you shrug, it’s the best you can do at the moment. You’re too tongue tied by this man to try to use your words. Leon frowns at your shrug, then suddenly leans his forehead against yours. It’s likely to test your temperature, but all this serves to do is make your heart race. He is so impossibly close, you’re at a complete loss of what to say or do in this situation. You cast your eyes downwards, desperate to cut the contact between the hazel eyes so full of concern. Leon pulls back eventually, a frown on his face.

“You do have a fever, are you not feeling well?” Concern laces Leon’s voice, and you feel bad for worrying the man. Your silly crush should not be making you this flustered.

“I, uh, um,” you splutter, trying to figure out what to say. You sway into Leon, and he takes a stronger hold of you.

“You should have said something,” Leon frets, and you try to collect your thoughts to soothe his worries.

“I-it was pretty s-s-sudden, s-sorry,” you stutter, and Leon sighs.

“I’ve got you, don’t worry.” It reminds you so much of what Hop would whisper in your ear, it hurts. You nod, not trusting your voice as the tears build in your eyes.

You wait a bit before trying to speak, but your voice still wavers with emotion. “I’ll be ok.” Desperate for a distraction from Leon’s powerful golden gaze on you, you turn back to the window and point to a random landmark. “Why don’t you, um, tell me more about the, uh, landmarks?” It sounds pathetic to your own ears, but Leon beams and turns back to the window.

“Of course! Over there is the Stadium! And that over there is Rose Plaza, and-” You listen to Leon prattle off about each landmark you two can see from the window, learning more about the city as Leon goes.

“If you know all these landmarks, how come you can never seem to find your way using them?” You tease, and Leon scratches the back of his head, embarrassed.

“Well, I try to! It gets all confusing from the ground. Up high I have no problem getting around!” Leon boasts, and you roll your eyes.

“That’s because Charizard is the one leading you when you’re in the air, you goon,” you laugh, and playfully swat his arm.

“Ok, fair point,” Leon admits, tilting his head to rest it in his hand. “But! If I didn’t have Charizard, I could still find my way better from the air!”

“And how would you do that without Charizard, exactly?” You poke his arm, and Leon laughs.

“Well if I had wings of my own, of course!” Now you’re laughing at the image it brings up, and Leon laughs with you.

“How would you ever get wings of your own? Just admit there’s no way for you to ever find your way on your-” you’re cut off, as Raboot begins squealing in fright. Apparently _now_ is when he’s decided this is too high for him, and he’s now panicking.

Your heart rate speeds up, and you feel paralyzed by Raboot’s own panic. You’re helpless to help your own Pokémon, due to his panic. Leon acts fast in your place, quickly grabbing the Pokémon before he can jump around and get himself or one of you hurt. He holds Raboot tight in his arms until the panicked Pokémon begins to calm down. He shushes the Fire-type, putting his body between Raboot and the window so he can’t see how high up he is.

Your heart rate begins to slow as Raboot calms down, and you’re finally freed from the paralysis of the panic. You wobbly stand on one leg so you can reach Raboot to pet him, having to cling to Leon to keep your balance.

“Seems he’s calming down, I didn’t realize he was still so afraid of heights. Why did you bring him?” Leon looks at you as he asks, a dark look in his eyes.

“He wanted to come! I tried warning him, but he ignored me. I’m not going to force him into his ball, either, cuz he hates that even more.” When you explain, Leon relaxes and that dark look fades from his eyes.

“I see, what a trouble maker,” Leon chuckles, moving the group of you back to the bench. He lets Raboot hide in his arms through the peak of the Ferris Wheel, continuing to talk with you until it reaches the ground once more.

Raboot perks back up once his feet are on solid ground again. You sigh as you ruffle his fur when he hops into your lap, back in the wheelchair once more. “I’m sorry about that, again,” you repeat, and Leon brushes you off once more.

“As long as you had a good time. Are you still feeling unwell? Should I take you to the Center instead of the castle today?” Leon still looks concerned about your earlier incident, and you have to fight the blush that wants to return just at the memory of it.

“No, I’m fine now. I’m good to go to the castle.” Leon pushes you along, and you wonder if you’re even going the right way to get there.

“Great! On to the castle then!” Leon shouts, and you pull out your phone to double check which way to go.

“Yeah, but turn around, the castle is back that way.” You point back over your shoulder, and Leon laughs.

“Oops.” With your directing, it doesn’t take you all that long to get there. Leon is a fast walker, and he does actually know a few shortcuts through the city. One ends up being a long cut due to Leon remembering it incorrectly and taking the wrong path, but overall it’s an adventure that you both enjoy.

“We’re here! Wyndon Castle!” Leon announces as he pushes you up to a set of gorgeous, wrought iron gates. He slows down his pace as you enter, so you can have the time to really ogle at all the beautiful architecture.

“It gorgeous!” You comment as Leon wheels you up to the stairs entering it. Of course it’s not accessible in the slightest, but thankfully Leon can carry you up any stairs _and_ carry the wheelchair at the same time. He sets you back in it at the top, pushing you on through the rest of the castle. Any stairs you come across are dealt with the same way the first set was, even if Leon turns you into a sputtering mess every time he just picks you up without warning.

At some point in the conversation that flows between you two, Hop comes up. “I’ve brought him a couple times, but he always wants to see everything right away. I don’t usually get to meander through here like this.” He’s talking about how you requested him to slow down so you could see everything.

“Yeah, he mentioned that.” Your voice sounds monotonous and flat even to you. “He said he stayed with you a lot, and I noticed he’s got a room there at your place.”

“He does! He’s been coming to stay with me in Wyndon since I became Champion! It’s nice, I miss him a lot otherwise. It’s hard living on the exact opposite side of the region of your family!” Leon frowns, his eyes turning dark with sadness, as he gazes out ahead of you, unfocused.

“I can imagine. I miss my family a lot, too. You and Hop sound like you’re incredibly close.” It hurts, because you _do_ miss your family a lot, and you also miss Hop a lot too.

“I practically raised him, after all!” Leon replies, sighing deeply.

“I’ve heard that a few times, now. What do you mean by that?” You’re curious, you haven’t heard much about this.

“Well, our Dad died when we were pretty young. Hop doesn’t even remember him, he was just a baby. An accident in the Wild Area, Dad was a Trainer. A pretty good one, too, which just goes to show it doesn’t matter how good you are, the Wild Area is dangerous.” Leon sounds incredibly sad as he shares this story with you.

“Mum was busy with the farm, and with being a nurse. Our grandparents moved into that cottage you’re staying in after the little girl there went missing, and helped after that, but Hop was about 5 or 6 by then. Those first few years, Mum had a lot on her plate, so I had to help out a lot with Hop. I didn’t mind, my Dad had always said that if something happened to him, it was my job to take care of Mum and Hop. I don’t think he expected I’d have to so young, mind you, but I took it seriously. I looked after Hop most of the time. As a result, we became pretty inseparable those early years. Hop was friends with that girl until she went missing, but he never really made any other friends after she disappeared. Not like there was really anyone around his age, anyways. He was always pretty alone, which only made us closer.” Leon has stopped walking now, standing still as he shares his story with you.

“I felt so guilty when I left for the Gym Challenge. Dad caught Charizard for me, you know, so Hop and I always had it in our heads that we were going to be Trainers, too. Helped that I also had Sonia, who wanted to be Champion, no less, so I wasn’t going to be going it alone. But Hop would be, as when I left, I left him all alone. Sonia and I had basically been his only friends. When the two of us left for the Gym Challenge, we left him behind. I almost didn’t go because of it! Can you imagine? I think about that a lot. I’m only here because Hop pushed me to go, promised me he’d be ok on his own. I didn’t want to do it, not without Hop! I was seriously going to wait until Hop was 16!

“But I went, obviously, and left Hop behind. Hop was so excited for me. One of the first things I did was bring him out to Wyndon with me. When I got a place of my own, I wanted it to be big enough for all my Pokémon, and have a place where Hop could stay. Didn’t take me long to save up for that, being Champion. I’d bring Hop out here as often as I could. But as the years went on, he got less and less excited for doing the Gym Challenge himself. He got lonely. He’d never tell me that, he didn’t want to worry me, but I knew. At 11, the only thing between him and the Gym Challenge was the age restriction. By the time he hit 16, he didn’t want to go. Oh sure, he’d say he did, but when the Gym Challenge rolled around, and I hinted at endorsing him, he never came to ask me for one.

“When I pried, he told me he had something else really important that would get in the way, but when I tried to find out what that ‘something’ was, he’d get mad and tell me off. He only does that when I’m prying for something he’s embarrassed about, so I stopped pushing it that year. Last year, the excuse was he was too sick. He wasn’t sick at all, just faking it, but both Mum and I let it be. If he didn’t want to go, I couldn’t force him, after all. But I knew he wanted to do it. I just didn’t know how to get him to actually go. Then you showed up, and suddenly he was back to that 11 year old again. So thank you, for sticking with him and being his friend. I know he can be a handful. I hope you’ll give him a chance to fix things.” Leon looks down at you as he finishes his tale.

“Why didn’t Hop want to go, though?” You ask; you’ve got an idea of why, but you’d like to hear confirmation of it.

“Two main reasons that I know of. He didn’t want to do it alone, and he was afraid of failing. He’s always boasting about how he’s going to take me down, but he’s so afraid he won’t make it that far. He let that fear stop him from even trying,” Leon explains.

It almost hurts more, now, knowing Hop only started all of this because he wasn’t alone for it anymore. And now, he’s all alone again, because of you. Because you were too impatient to just wait to do this properly. Because you lied to him. A fresh wave of tears comes to your eyes, and despite your best efforts, you begin to sob.

Leon has the sense of mind to realize why, and rubs your back. “Want to head back, then?” He asks softly, leaning down so you can see him better. You only can nod, sobs eating your words, and Leon wordlessly wheels you out of there. He even has Charizard take the group of you home, so you don’t have to be in public while sobbing.

You miss Hop so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter is ENTIRELY a 7k word Leon fluff piece and I feel no shame. I think we all needed this after everything. I have been waiting so long, SO LONG, to finally get to the LeonxReader stuff and I’m SO THRILLED WE’RE HERE AT LAST. Hope you like Leon, cuz we’re going to be seeing a lot more of him now!
> 
> If you haven’t yet, please check out [Regaining Glory](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25367695/chapters/61509406), a story Wolfie_ROOD and I are working on! We’d really appreciate it!
> 
> I am finally done moving, now it’s just putting stuff away. I almost have free time again. I did finally manage to break my writer’s block and a Chapter written! I’m good for another week now hahaha.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who continues to read and like and comment, I love all of you so much. You guys make my day every single day. I can’t believe so many people like this?!


	37. Interlude Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Ember564 and Audzilla28 for being my awesome beta readers!
> 
> And thank you to everyone who continues to comment! TheLividArtist, FlorensceSky, Dar4, AvatarKai, Shadowjourney15, Xikari, to name a few... I appreciate all of you so much! Honestly the comments are what help me the most, I truly love and appreciate you guys!
> 
> And with this chapter... WE'VE HIT 150K WORDS WHAT? I can't believe how much I've written these last 7 months holy. Thanks for sticking with me!

Kabu sighs and runs his hands over his face for what feels like the hundredth time. He’s exhausted, and so is Centiskorch. They’ve been out here for hours, training with Dynamax. The training dummy Centiskorch’s move was supposed to miss is covered in scorch marks from the hit of the massive Pokémon’s massive Fire attack.

“Again!” He shouts, his voice strained from the hours of training. Centiskorch winds up and launches another massive Fire attack, but still hits the dummy with the edge of it. Kabu sighs again as Centiskorch returns to normal size, the Dynamax effect wearing off. It’ll take some time for his band to recharge, which means it’s back to target practice.

The two silently line the targets up on the far side of the field, and Kabu instructs Centiskorch through hitting different ones while they wait to be able to Dynamax again. Centiskorch collapses forward after several rounds, too exhausted to fire another move.

Kabu groans, and comes to sit beside his partner. “You should have told me you were nearing you limit.” Kabu pets the tired Pokémon as he moves to rest his head in Kabu’s lap. Centiskorch makes a whining noise as he settles in. “I know, I want to keep going, too. I never want what happened today to happen again, either.”

Centiskorch had tried not to hit her, he really had. The Pokémon feels awful for causing such an injury. It’s not that injuries are uncommon, but most are accidents that no one is particularly at fault for. Although today’s injury was also an accident, it could have been entirely avoided if either one of them had been paying more attention.

Centiskorch had not known she was already injured. He had thought she’d be able to get out of the way in time. Kabu hadn’t noticed his Pokémon preparing to attack until it was too late. Suffice to say, they both feel responsible and want to make sure it never happens again. Thus, the training.

“I don’t know if she’ll be ok. We may have ruined her battling career today,” Kabu sighs, sagging forward slightly. He feels incredibly old in that moment, a lifetime of battling weighing down on him. She was so young, and held such promise.

Yet, she was the one who had wished to continue the battle. The girl is nothing short of reckless, though Kabu knows why. Leon has talked with him about her at length now, worried about what to do with her and how to hide her from Rose.

Kabu has heard all about her gift, and he’s watched both of her matches. Hop as well, both trainers held such promise. The Fire Leader sighs again, petting the resting Pokémon in his lap. “Is it our fault? It seems unfair to blame her, she hasn’t lived here long. Yet she chose to ignore the advice of her own doctors. We should not be too hard on ourselves, Centiskorch. Perhaps there is something else we can do for her, to ease our guilt.” He talks more for his own benefit than the large Bug-type lying in his lap.

There are a lot of ‘should have’s and ‘could have’s that float through Kabu’s mind, but he tries to push those aside and think of the future instead of the past. What can they do now to help her? She has a talent with Fire-type Pokémon, perhaps Kabu can find use for her here at the Stadium. It would solve Leon’s worries about what to do with her, as well.

Kabu has already been in touch with Leon today after what happened, but perhaps Kabu should call him back and share his idea with the man. He’d been so worried about her, perhaps this would put his mind at ease. She would make a good Trainer here. And Kabu could make sure she took care of herself. It wouldn’t be too hard to hide her from Rose here, either.

“What do you think? What if she were to become a Gym Trainer here?” Kabu asks his Pokémon. Centiskorch looks up at him, smiles, and begins nodding his agreement. The man takes a deep breath, and sighs heavily. “I thought so, too. I think we’re both done for the night, don’t you?” Once again, his Pokémon nods, then rolls off his lap. Kabu stands, and the two begin making their way out of the Stadium.

“We’ll go visit her tomorrow,” Kabu decides while he and his Pokémon clean and lock up the Stadium for the night. “We can apologize and explain things to her. Perhaps even bring her here and give her the Wild Area lesson. It might help her feel better. I don’t want this to be the end of her career.”

\----------------------------------------------------------

“You can’t keep doing this, you know.” Kabu crosses his arms as he unlocks the Stadium doors. The sun is just coming up over the edge of the city, and already Hop is here to train. He’s been coming here at incredibly early and incredibly late hours every day this week, and Kabu knows why.

“What are you talking about?” Hop pretends not to know, but Kabu isn’t a fool. He can see right through the boy. Hop knows what Kabu’s talking about, the boy’s just continuing to avoid his problems.

“Avoiding her.” Kabu opens the door, holding it open and gesturing for Hop to enter. He does with a frown.

“What do you mean? I’m not avoiding her,” Hop argues, scratching his arm as he looks anywhere but at Kabu.

“Oh really? When was the last time you spoke to her?” Kabu follows Hop into the Stadium, watching as the boy heads to the change room.

He stops a few feet ahead, but doesn’t turn around. “Fine, so I’m avoiding her,” he relents quietly, but in the silence of the empty lobby, Kabu can hear him just fine.

“Why?” Kabu asks, coming to stand beside Hop. “You two are very close, yet you avoid facing her. It’s been a week, Hop. You can’t run forever.”

“I’m not going to run forever! I just…need more time…” Hop hugs himself, his eyes set on the floor.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand. Are you still upset with her?” Kabu steps closer, resting a hand on Hop’s shoulder. He notices the tears that trickle down Hop’s face, but doesn’t mention it.

Hop shakes his head slowly. “I’m…afraid…” Hop trails off, and Kabu waits patiently for him to continue.

When he doesn’t, Kabu clears his throat and prompts, “Afraid of what?”

“Of something awful happening to her. Of her…leaving…” Kabu isn’t quite sure what Hop means at first, until he hears Hop hiccup and sees his tears splatter to the floor. He means death, he’s scared of her dying.

“Then what are you doing here? She needs someone to look after her, so she doesn’t make such reckless decisions.” Kabu squeezes Hop’s shoulder comfortingly, but Hop only shakes his head violently.

“But I’m the reason she made reckless decisions! It’s my fault! I should have made her stay in Motostoke the first time! But I… I was so impatient to get going on the Challenge… And she pushed herself before she was ready just so she could stay with me… I can’t face her…” Hop’s voice chokes out as his throat closes on him.

Kabu pulls the boy into a hug, and he begins to sob in earnest. Kabu holds him there until he’s calmed down, rubbing Hop’s back as his tears soak Kabu’s shirt. “It isn’t your fault. It isn’t any one particular person’s fault. I had to come to the same conclusion. Blaming yourself does not help her, and running from her is only causing the both of you more pain. You need to face your feelings, and face her. You can’t help her when you’re avoiding her, and right now she needs all the help she can get. You should be there for her,” Kabu lectures once Hop has gone from sobs to sniffles.

Hop doesn’t answer for a while, so Kabu lets the boy think, continuing to hold him and rub his back until he’s ready to talk. “But if I’m not helping her, maybe she’ll actually drop out to get better,” Hop finally replies.

Kabu pulls Hop away from him and gives him a stern look. “I didn’t want it to have to come to this. I’m barring you from practicing here until you’ve spoken to her. That is not a healthy line of thinking, and you need to do better for yourself and for your friend.”

Hop balks, his arms going up and his eyes opening wide. “What?! That’s not fair!”

“It doesn’t have to be fair. This is affecting both of you, and the way you battle. I don’t see you beating Bea the way you are now. Go deal with this, so you can get your head back into your battles.” Kabu crosses his arms and gives Hop a hard look, which Hop has trouble keeping eye contact with.

He glances away and back again repeatedly. “Is it really that bad?” He asks timidly, scratching his arm again.

“Yes.” Hop’s battling has been significantly worse, but Kabu doesn’t need mention it _that_ way.

Hop takes a deep breath, and sighs, “I don’t know what to say to her, though.”

“Then instead of battling, take some time to think about it,” Kabu suggests, setting a hand back on Hop’s shoulder once more.

Hop nods, standing there staring out into space for a moment. “Guess I have some thinking to go do,” he muses, frowning. Kabu nods at the lad, watching him with careful eyes.

“Next time you come back here, it better be with Kieran, or I’m not letting you in,” Kabu warns lightly, to which Hop nods.

“Right, I’m off, then,” Hop grimaces as he walks past Kabu, giving him a small wave.

Kabu bows his head slightly in return, watching Hop go before turning to get is Stadium ready for the day.

Hop heads back to the Budew Drop Inn, and flops himself back onto the bed. He blows air out in a huff, letting his Pokémon out as he begins to try to think of what to say to his best friend.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“So you just decided to leave her? In Motostoke? By herself?” Leon is pinching the bridge of his nose. Hop’s just caught him up on the situation. He paces, glad he’s alone right now, because he is _seething_.

“Kabu is there! He’s been helping her out!” Hop’s voice cracks with emotion. He’s also pissed off, but at his best friend. Leon sighs, closing his eyes for a moment.

“You just expect Kabu to take her in and take care of her? Hop, _we’re the only fucking thing she has in this world!_ She has no family, no one else who can take care of her, and you ditch your disabled best friend because she pissed you off?!” Leon lays into Hop, furious with him. “How dare you?! You promised me you would take care of her!”

“Yeah, well, I can’t, Lee! She keeps hurting herself, and she won’t stop! I can’t… I can’t keep watching it! I just want her to stop…” Hop sobs, and Leon sighs again, running a hand over his face.

“Hop, what the hell is ditching her in Motostoke going to accomplish?! She can’t walk! She can’t do the Gym Challenge right now anyways!” Leon flinches at the loud sound of his own voice reverberating off the empty halls of the Vault.

“I don’t know! But I failed to take care of her! I can’t do it!” Hop wails back, and Leon can hear him hiccup as he tries to get his emotions under control.

“Yes you can, Hop! None of what has happened to her is your fault! All you had to do was stay by her side!” Leon booms. He’s upsetting Hop, he’s fully aware, as they usually don’t fight this badly.

“But I’m not you, Lee! I can’t just save her by staying by her side! I can’t do anything right!” Hop chokes out, his voice strained as he speaks through his sorrow.

“Hop, what the hell? What’s gotten into you?” Leon’s genuinely concerned for a moment, he’s never heard Hop talk like this, not outwardly. Leon’s always suspected his little brother held such feelings, though.

“I… What does it matter Lee? I’m sorry I broke my promise, alright? But I can’t look after her anymore! It’s too hard…” Hop’s voice rises and falls with the emotion he tries to contain.

Leon growls, how can Hop give up so easily? “You only had to stay with her, Hop! You’ve had no problem with it until a few days ago!”

“She lied to me, Lee! How can I trust her?! How can I help her when I can’t trust her?!” Hop cries out, getting angry.

Leon shakes his head, getting frustrated with Hop. “It only takes one lie to undo everything the two of you have built up over these last two months?” He can hardly believe Hop is so willing to toss away such a strong friendship. He’s listened to Hop talk about his best friend every day for the last two months. They’ve become incredibly close, from the sounds of things.

“I-” Hop sniffs, before taking a shuddering breath. “No, it’s not that… It hurts too much, Lee…”

“It’s hard to watch the people you love struggle.” Leon can understand. It hurts him to hear that Kieran had pushed herself so hard that she’s made herself worse, too.

Hop audibly gasps. “I- no, I- that’s not how I feel about her!”

Leon chuckles for the first time during this whole conversation. “Well, I hadn’t thought you had anything more than platonic feelings for her, but now I see I was mistaken! You know ditching her isn’t exactly going to leave a good impression if you want her to like you back,” Leon teases, earning a groan from Hop.

“No! You’re wrong! That’s not how I feel about her! Not anymore, anyways…” Hop trails off, hiccupping softly.

“Whoa, slow down there, really?! Again, you’re going to let one lie ruin it all?!” Leon would shake his little brother were he here, as this conversation is going in circles and it’s driving Leon mad.

“No! I just need time, ok? I need some space! I can’t stand her right now! I don’t…don’t want to hate her…” Hop chokes up, breaking into sobs once more.

Leon takes a deep breath before blowing it out his nose slowly. “There were _many other steps_ you could have taken before just fucking _leaving her alone_ Hop! Now I have to go there and get her! You can’t just leave her alone in a foreign city by herself! What if something were to happen to her?!”

“What would that matter, I can’t stop things from happening to her when I’m with her!” Hop wails, and Leon fights the urge to groan.

“It fucking matters, Hop! There’s lots of things you can help her with that she can’t do alone! What about getting food? Or shelter? She has no money, Hop! She has no bank card, no source of income, no home! She wouldn’t even be able to afford a train ticket back to Postwick! You can’t just fucking ditch someone you’re responsible for like that! You’re an adult now, Hop, I shouldn’t have to be telling you this!” Leon isn’t sugar coating things for his little brother today. He needs Hop to know exactly how badly he’s messed this one up.

Hop’s quiet for a moment. “But you can go save her, just like you always do-”

“Will you bloody _think_ for a damn moment, Hop! What if I couldn’t?! What would she do then? When you promised to take care of her, that included staying with her even when you’re fucking furious with her! Take some damn responsibility!” Leon bellows, his voice reverberating off the walls menacingly.

“I’m sorry-” Leon doesn’t give Hop a chance to finish.

“Then turn around and get your arse back to Motostoke!” He hopes he’s gotten through to Hop, and that Hop will do the right thing. Then Leon can call Raihan and hopefully apologize to the man for ruining another day they were supposed to spend together.

“No, I can’t do that, Lee! I’m going to Hammerlocke. I’m finishing the Gym Challenge! I can’t do it anymore! She wants to keep going, Lee! I can’t, if I stay she’ll just make me take her through the Wild Area and I _can’t_ , Lee! I can’t protect her!” Hop yells back, and Leon can hear the anger and hurt in his voice.

“Yes you _can_ , Hop! Dammit, I don’t have the fucking time for this. She’s alone there, and I need to go get her if you won’t!” Leon paces, beginning to try to find his way out of the empty Vault. He’s worried about Kieran, alone in a bit city like Motostoke. Leon can think of a multitude of things that can happen to her there, experience reminding him of some of the more unpleasant things. Someone needs to go get her, whether it be himself or Hop.

“Then go get her!” Hop hangs up suddenly, switching the call back to the one on hold.

“Dammit Hop, that isn’t the point!” Leon roars back, unaware Hop has hung up on him.

“Leon?” The female voice is not what he’s expecting, so he flounders.

“Kieran?” He asks, voice dropping in volume at the realization of who’s now talking to. “Shit, that kid hung up on me. I’m in Hammerlocke. Can you wait a few hours there? I’ll come to get you.”

\----------------------------------------------------------

“I can’t believe you’re _finally_ letting me take you to the Vault again! We’ve had this new exhibit open for _months_ now, love!” Raihan slips an arm around Leon’s waist the moment the door to the Vault is closed again. Leon leans into him and smiles softly up at him.

“I know, and you’ve been telling me about it for months. I can’t wait to finally see it!” If Leon is completely honest, history bores the shit out of him. But he can listen to the sound of Raihan’s voice forever, probably. So even if all the history stuff goes in one ear and out the other, he at least pretends to care. Raihan knows, it’s why he dumbs all this stuff down so much for Leon.

“Ok, ok, through here, come on!” Raihan tugs at his partner with a wide grin, and Leon jogs with the man, arms wrapped around each other. They stumble into the room with the new exhibit, laughing and holding each other. They somehow keep from ending up on the floor, both righting each other before Raihan leans down and rests his forehead against Leon’s. The action causes Leon’s hat to fall to the floor, but neither man moves to pick it up.

“I love you so much.” Leon can’t help when it bubbles out of him, but it only makes Raihan grin more.

“I love you too, gorgeous,” Raihan replies, arms wrapping tighter around Leon. They stare into each other’s eyes for a while, before Leon closes the distance between them and kisses Raihan sweetly.

He knows they have the vault to themselves – Raihan’s had it vacated just for the two of them. They can be as romantic with each other as they want here, behind closed doors. It’s nice to go on a date for a change, and be able to act like a couple while on it.

One of Raihan’s hands moves to Leon’s jaw, resting there as he holds him. They stand there for a while, just softly kissing and enjoying each other. Raihan is the first to break away, though his hand lingers on Leon’s jaw. “Are you ready, love?” The hand from around Leon’s waist slips away, running down his arm to secure itself in Leon’s hand.

“As I’ll ever be,” Leon answers with a soft chuckle, and Raihan beams.

If Leon is honest, nothing Raihan tells him sticks with him. The art is pretty, sometimes, but Raihan is always prettier. It’s hard to be looking at the stuff Raihan wants him to look at when the taller man is so in his element. He’s bright, toothy smiles and deep, chortling laughter when he talks about one of his biggest loves: history. Leon only wants to watch his partner talk – view his radiance – as it would outshine any work of art the world over.

“You’re not even paying attention,” Raihan accuses, though he’s still grinning. By this point in their relationship, he knows better than to expect Leon to actually remember any of this. But when Leon gives him those eyes, when Leon stares at him like he’s hung the moon and stars, it’s hard to be mad. Leon is so pretty – his eyes especially so. Raihan finds it hard to look away sometimes.

“I don’t have to, you’ll explain it to me again,” Leon remarks with a grin, and Raihan rolls his eyes with a grin.

“Tsk, what cheek! Expecting I’ll take you on a second date, your highness?” Raihan teases, elbowing his partner playfully. Leon laughs, wrapping his arms around the Dragon tamer and holding him close.

“Of course, you always do,” Leon reminds him playfully, squeezing him a little too tight.

Raihan gets his revenge when he gets to Leon’s armpits and tickles him where he’s weak. Leon squeaks rather undignifiedly, which causes Raihan to burst into laughter. The Champion blushes, shoving gently at Raihan. “Whoa!” Raihan pretends to stumble harder than he should have from the push. “What if you knock me into something? This stuff is priceless, you know!” Raihan wears a shit-eating grin as he teases his boyfriend.

“The only priceless thing I see here is your smile,” Leon comments playfully, causing Raihan to blush.

“You always do this to me!” Raihan complains, wrapping his arms back around Leon and leaning into the man, burying his face into Leon’s neck. Leon runs his fingers through Raihan’s hair, rubbing his back with the other hand.

“That is the goal.” Leon gives the side of Raihan’s face a quick peck, and Raihan’s arms tighten in response. Leon feels a set of lips kiss his neck gently in return, bringing a smile to Leon’s face.

The moment is interrupted when Leon’s phone goes off. “Don’t answer that, you said this was us time,” Raihan warns, and Leon is about to shove his phone back in his pocket when he sees who’s calling him.

“I have to take this, Raihan. It’s Kieran. It could be important.” Leon knows how Raihan feels after the last time Leon just up and ditched him to save Kieran. It saved her life, and Raihan knows, but he’s still a little bitter about being ditched without explanation like that.

“She can leave a message and you can check it later, she has other people she can call to help her. We’re on a _date_ , Leon.” Raihan steps back and gives his boyfriend a hard look.

Leon takes a deep breath and sighs. “If she calls back, I’m going to answer,” Leon states, and Raihan’s eyes go dark.

“Don’t,” Raihan demands, glaring at the man. The phone stops ringing.

“If she doesn’t leave a message and she calls back, I’m at least finding out if it’s an emergency. If it’s not, I’ll hang up.” It’s the only compromise Leon can think of, and it’s clear from Raihan’s glare that he’s not ok with it.

Raihan looks like he’s about to say something, but the phone begins to ring again, cutting him off. He only presses his lips into a line in response.

Leon picks up the line. “Kieran, if this isn’t an emergency, I’m going to need you to call back later. I’m in the middle of a meeting.” Raihan is shaking his head at him, but Leon gives him a look that says _I’ll handle this_.

There’s a sob over the line before Kieran’s wobbly voice picks up. “Hop ditched me, he’s gone to the Wild Area without me.” She begins to sob pretty hard midway through explaining, but Leon gets the gist of it.

“Hang up,” Raihan demands. Leon hates hurting his partner like this, he really does, but he has a responsibility to the girl.

“Are you serious?” Leon asks, both to Raihan and to Kieran.

“Of course I’m fucking serious,” Raihan’s voice is drained of emotion, so Leon knows he isn’t kidding around.

“Excuse me a moment,” Leon pulls the phone away from his face, and mouths to Raihan, “We’re not doing this here.”

“Fine, we’re not doing this here.” There’s a finality to Raihan’s tone as he marches off, closing the door loudly behind him. Leon flinches from the sound of it.

Leon turn his attention back to the phone. He still has an emergency to deal with that isn’t his pouting, emotional boyfriend. “He _left_? Because you’re fighting? Hang on, I’m going to try calling him. Hopefully he’s still in range of a cell tower. I’m putting you on hold,” Leon announces, pulling the phone away from his face to first go track down his boyfriend, calling Hop on the way.

He runs into Raihan first. “I hung up, let’s talk,” Leon begs, phone still to his ear as he waits for Hop to pick up. He’s about to be in two fights at once, but Leon really isn’t sure how else to solve this. Not while he’s flustered like this.

“Oh? So who are you on the phone with now?” Raihan asks angrily, his brows furrowed.

“Hop. Well, trying to get a hold of Hop. He ditched Kieran in Motostoke,” Leon explains, but Raihan only rolls his eyes.

“And that constitutes an emergency?” Raihan’s voice is full of sarcasm, and Leon has to bite back a groan.

“Yes, Raihan, what the hell is she supposed to do there alone?! She’s my responsibility, I took her on to protect her from Rose, so I have to deal with this!” Leon desperately wants Raihan to understand that he’s not choosing Kieran over his actual boyfriend, but the situations are vastly different, and Kieran needs help.

“Kabu can take care of her for a while. Weren’t you telling me he wanted to make her a Gym Trainer of his?” Raihan dismisses with a wave of his hand. His eyes are still cold, icy teal feeling like it pierces Leon’s soul.

“I can’t just put her up in a hotel and ask Kabu to deal with her, Raihan! She’s badly injured!” The line goes to voicemail, so Leon pulls the phone away from his face and hits redial.

“So what, you’re going to go run off to save her again? Leon, you told me she wouldn’t come between us.” Raihan crosses his arms once more, leaning forward to glare at Leon.

Leon can only sigh. “I know. And I’m sorry. I thought you, of all people, would understand why I want to protect her from Rose.”

“Don’t, don’t you pull that. You’ve got some…thing for her, it’s more than just protecting her from Rose at this point! Don’t try to pull that excuse!”

“I’ve told you, Raihan, I’m in love with you, not her! I’m just excited to battle her! It’s different!” Leon tries desperately to explain, but Raihan just shakes his head and holds a hand up.

“No it’s not, not with you. I would know.” Raihan’s voice is dark, his brows low over his eyes. There’s a hidden threat to his words. “What do you intend to do, Leon?”

“I don’t know! Probably go there and save her if I can’t get Hop to!” Leon’s exasperated at this point, tired of this fight already. He doesn’t know how to assuage Raihan’s fears. Probably because they have genuine reason to exist, and Leon is having a harder and harder time denying his attraction to the girl.

“Of course you will. What a hero, the great, undefeated Champion!” Raihan’s face twists in rage, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Leon would respond to that, he really would, but Hop chooses this moment to finally pick up.

“Hop! What the hell is going on?!” Leon demands, as Raihan turns and walks away. “Wait, Raihan, don’t leave!” Raihan’s answer to that is to raise his middle finger.

“Go save your little pet, Leon! Call me in a couple days.” Leon knows Raihan’s going to need his space to be mad. He just wishes he knew how to solve this, so that everyone could be happy.

Leon knows there isn’t an answer to that problem.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“We can’t keep doin’ this,” Piers pants as Raihan rolls off him.

“Why not? We’re both enjoying ourselves, are we not?” Raihan turns his head to look at Piers, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

“You’re cheatin’.” It’s always something that looms over them when they do this, something that’s driven Piers mad for a while.

They decided early on in their relationship that they would be private with it, him and Raihan. They’ve been together since the Gym Challenge they did together at 16. Never bothered to label it, it just is what it is. Never had rules, either, not like they could once Rose started to make Piers’ life hell.

“I mean, technically yes, but you and I have been together forever. I hardly consider what we have cheating,” Raihan remarks casually, rolling over and shifting so he’s on his side and facing Piers. He rests his head on his hand and looks down at his lover.

“Does Leon know about us then?” Piers raises an eyebrow at the man above him, and his lips press into a line.

Raihan has been dating Leon for a while, yet he still has not filled his partner in on what he has with Piers. Piers is beginning to get worried, as he doesn’t want to cause further strife between himself and Leon. Thing were already awkward enough between the two men, thanks to Rose.

“Well.” Raihan bites his lip. “Not technically, no.” He looks away from Piers, scratching his head nervously.

“That means you’re cheatin’. And I’m not really comfortable with that. Ya gotta pick.” Piers gives Raihan a hard look, which Raihan continues to avoid.

Rose has been making Piers’ life hell since he became a Gym Leader and moved his newly formed Gym to Spikemuth, instead of Wyndon Stadium. No Stadium meant no Dynamax, which meant low ratings. Or something, Piers didn’t really care about what Rose ranted about. He was just trying to get the funds his town desperately needed.

And it had worked. They finally got a Center, as rules of the League states every Gym has to be near one. Rose only let them have that victory, however, as the funds to fix up the rest of the town just never came. Piers fights hard for every little bit of money the town does get, but he knows Rose is cutting them off so Piers will move the Gym.

But then Spikemuth will fall off the map altogether. Piers can’t let that happen, his town of misfits is all he’s got. All they all got.

Raihan lays back down and is quiet for a while. “How can I? I love you both.”

“And I’m fine with that. But is Leon? Ya can’t just decide for ‘im ‘cause it’s convenient. Ya gotta talk with ‘im.” Piers would love for this to all work out for all three of them, he really would, but that relies on Raihan actually sorting things out with Leon for once.

Communication was not that couple’s strong suit.

“I will, I will, relax,” Raihan replies with a wave of his hand, and Piers can only sigh.

“Ya said that last time too. And yet ya still haven’t talked with ‘im,” Piers prods, rolling over to rest his head on Raihan’s shoulder. The taller man curls an arm around Piers, pulling him closer.

“I know. That’s because we keep fighting.” Raihan shifts so he can curl himself more around Piers, and Piers closes his eyes to enjoy the embrace.

“What about?” Piers mumbles. Sleep is beginning to take him, and he’s so comfy, even if he’s still a little sticky and sweaty from their earlier activities.

“Kieran.” Raihan states it monotonously.

“Ah.” Piers isn’t sure what to say to that. Raihan’s developed some sort of jealousy towards her, due to how much of Leon’s time she takes up.

“It’s not enough that he texts her all the time, but this is the second time he’s just gone charging off to go rescue her! He’s not going to come back, either. He’s gotta ‘take care of her’ and all. Ugh!” Raihan squeezes Piers tighter, one hand curling into Piers’ tangled hair and holding his head.

Once again, Piers doesn’t know what to say. He thinks Raihan’s worries are a bit absurd, there’s no way Leon would cheat on Raihan. He can’t imagine the man being capable of it. To him, it sounds like Leon treats her like a little sister.

“If Marn called me ‘bout anythin’, I’d be there in a jiff, too. He treats her like family,” Piers points out, hoping to get Raihan out of this mood.

“He treats her like he loves her,” Raihan replies darkly, to which Piers rolls his eyes.

“I love Marn, too. People generally love their family,” Piers reminds the man who is an only child.

“No, he treats _Hop_ like family. He treats her like he treats me, or like he treated Sonia. He’s into her, even if he doesn’t realize it yet. But I’m sure he does, and I don’t like that he lies to my face about it,” Raihan explains, taking a deep breath and sighing when he’s finished.

“Oh.” Raihan would know better about that, so Piers knows he shouldn’t push the issue. “As long as ya talk to ‘im eventually. I don’t like bein’ a part of cheatin’.” Piers curls further into Raihan, yawning as he feels sleep’s pull.

“I will, love, I will. I don’t want to keep doing this to him, either.” Raihan rubs his back, his voice getting heavy with sleep.

“Right hypocritical of ya, don’t ya think? All wound up over Leon’s possible emotional cheatin’ when you’re cheatin’ for real.” Piers likes to remind Raihan every once in a while about how ridiculous he’s being.

Raihan doesn’t say anything to that. “I’m falling asleep, didn’t catch that,” he says after a moment, and Piers snorts.

“Right, sure, of course, night.” Piers lets himself succumb to sleep after that.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“Wait, I thought you said earlier that I finished the Gym Challenge?” The girl in the hospital bed asks, pursing her lips.

“You did.” The man pinches the bridge of his nose so he doesn’t get frustrated with her.

“But it sounds like I had to quit! I couldn’t walk,” she points out, and the man shakes his head.

“That doesn’t mean you quit. Listen, this is a good time for lunch, yeah? Want me to get you anything while I’m out?” The man moves to stand, and the girl quickly sits up.

“Wait! I have more questions!” The man groans at her words, but flops back in the chair.

“Fine, fine, what now?” He asks, getting comfortable once more.

“My Pokémon, what happened to them?” She tilts her head, and the man quirks his lips.

“Thought that was obvious, I have them. Well, most of them. A few chose to stay with the people who took care of them these last two years,” he explains, but the girl just shakes her head.

“That’s not what I mean. I mean the Pokémon I’ve had the last two years. My Dragapult, Mimikyu, and Mr. Rime. Where are they?” The girl’s eyebrows pull down in concern.

“Oh, they’re here at the Center. They’re being taken care of, don’t worry, but after the scene you all caused, they’re not going to let you see them any time soon.” The man shrugs his shoulders. “Nothing I can do, either. I helped the staff here calm them down when they were freaking out, so I know they’re all just fine here. You don’t have to look so worried.”

“I’m not allowed to see my son, I’m not allowed to see my Pokémon, excuse me for being worried!” She shouts, letting her emotions get the better of her as she fights the sting of tears in her eyes.

“I wish there was more I could do, but my hands are tied,” the man offers, but this only makes the girl frown further.

“But there is something you can do! You’re the Champion! You have that kind of power!” She lets the tears fall as anger fills her.

The man sighs. “I alone don’t, no. And my professional opinion says you aren’t ready for your Pokémon back, anyways.”

The girl balks. “What?! I’m not ready?!”

“Look at yourself.” The man gestures to her. “You’re already getting this upset. And when you got upset last time, so did your Pokémon, and then they began to attack _the staff_. So no, you don’t get them back yet. I may have the power to give them back to you, but they’re the ones you hurt. I’m taking their opinions into consideration, as well.”

She grits her teeth, but says nothing to his statement. He has a point, she is still highly emotional, and she doesn’t have very good control over her Pokémon ordinarily. “I wish I still had that bonding with Pokémon ability,” she murmurs.

The man perks up at that, sitting up and looking at her with furrowed brows. “What?”

“I said, I wish I still had the ability to bond with Pokémon and read their thoughts,” she repeats louder, but the man only furrows his brows further.

“What? How? That makes no sense, how did you lose it?” His voice is laced with confusion, to which the girl sighs.

“I dunno. I don’t remember ever having it. I also don’t remember giving birth, though, so I don’t know how far I’d trust my memories.” She slumps back in bed, her eyes heavy.

“Really? Huh,” the man responds, staring at her for a while with an odd expression on his face. “Anyways, I know the hospital food here is shit, and I’m going to get real food. You want anything?”

“Whatever you’re having is fine, our tastes can’t be that different.” She speaks dismissively, not entirely on purpose. She’s exhausted already, but still angry and upset.

The man takes a breath in, about to argue, but thinks better of it. “Sure, alright, I’ll be back in a bit.” He pushes himself up and leaves, and the girl closes her eyes to rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my writers block has been kinda...unending... I am working on Chapter Thirty-Two but it's going really slowly. I'm very sorry, but there might come a point where I have to drop it to one update a week. I don't think I can keep writing at a two chapters a week pace. Thank you all for you understanding, but don't worry, this isn't going anywhere! I want to finish this so badly.
> 
> In slightly happier news, I have started working on the companion piece to this! We're finally far enough along that writing it will no longer really involve heavy spoilers for this, so if you've read up to this point by the time I post it (honestly, Interlude 5 is all that's really needed to avoid the heaviest spoilers at first) you'll be good to go read it! If you want. It's about how Victor got to Galar and found Kieran, and became Champion. I hope you'll read it when it's posted!
> 
> I'm really happy with how this Interlude turned out. I hope you all enjoyed it! Another long one for you all. Thank you for your continued support!


	38. Chapter Thirty-One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the continued love and support, it means the world to me.
> 
> Thank you Ember564 and Audzilla28 for beta reading my fic!

There’s finally a day where Leon doesn’t have to go in to work early. “I have some time off this morning and afternoon! I don’t have to be anywhere until 4!” Leon boasts when he comes to wake you at an actually reasonable hour. You blink awake slowly; Leon’s only in his sleep pants this morning and that nearly causes you to do a double take. He helps you out of bed when you begin to shift to get up.

“Does that mean you have something planned for us?” You ask, as his tone seems to imply he does.

“Nope! Well, I was going to offer to help you with your exercises, but I truly don’t have anything planned for us otherwise!” You narrow your eyes at the man disbelievingly, but otherwise don’t say anything further. Leon keeps his word and helps you stretch and go through your exercises.

One of the things you want to try is walking on it. It’s feeling stronger, so you want to try to see if you can use it yet. “Hey Lee, are you willing to help me try walking?” You look at him and try to use your big, brown eyes to your advantage.

“Uh, should you be doing that?” His voice is filled with concern, and the way his eyebrows arch only accentuates that concern.

“It feels stronger, I want to see if I can put weight on it yet. If you’re here, you can hold me up so I don’t put too much weight on it.” When you explain it, Leon seems to become less concerned.

He nods, and lifts you under your arms, pulling you up. “Ok, but let me know the moment anything hurts,” he frets, letting your feet barely graze the ground.

You nod in return, “of course.” Leon begins to slowly lower you to the ground, and you try to keep your weight evenly placed between both feet. You’re able to nearly stand on your own, you have to shift most of your weight to your good leg, and cling to Leon for balance, but Leon isn’t holding any of your weight. You’re supporting yourself.

You look up at Leon and smile, and he beams back at you. “You’re standing!” He shouts, eyes sparkling with excitement.

“I am! I wonder if I can walk?” Leon’s instantly back to supporting your weight, encouraging you to try.

“Try it, I’ve got you. I’ll catch you if your leg can’t hold you,” Leon effuses, lifting you a bit to take on some of your weight.

You take a step, and then try to shift your weight to it to take another with your good leg. It wobbles, but it doesn’t buckle under the limited weight Leon lets it hold. Another step leaves you both grinning, and Leon slowly lets you take on more of your own weight while you walk slow, careful circles around the room. It starts to hurt after a while, however, so Leon picks you up, bridal style, holding you close to his chest. The action leaves you blushing, and you hope Leon doesn’t notice. It’s not enough he’s not wearing a shirt, but he has to hold you to his immaculate chest as well? You could faint.

Now finished exercising, he carries you downstairs and helps you make everyone pancakes for breakfast. You two may be pretty terrible in the kitchen, but you’re able to make enough unburnt pancakes to feed both of you and all your Pokémon.

It’s while you’re eating that Leon finally drops his plan. “Actually, I was hoping to take you to the Center today, and see how things are coming along.”

“Things are coming along? What do you mean by that?” You ask, confused, as you cut up Corvisquire’s pancakes for him.

“Well, I’m not taking you into the Wild Area unless you’re cleared for it. I know, I know.” He cuts you off before you can butt in. “I know you want to finish the Gym Challenge this year. But I’m not letting you in that Wild Area unless a doctor okays it. I have the power to do so, so don’t make me use it, please. I will take you - and go with you - the moment you’re cleared for it. But I’m not doing it until then.” Leon explains, giving you a hard look.

“Fine. I see I have no choice, anyways. What happens if a doctor doesn’t okay it?” You’re concerned, your fight with Hop might have all been over nothing if Leon can just bar you from doing any more of the Gym Challenge himself.

“Then you don’t go this year. I’m not putting your life at unnecessary risk just to do the Gym Challenge this year. Oh, don’t give me that look,” Leon reprimands when you pull a face, “I know how badly you want to do this. You don’t have to remind me. But your life is more important to me than your pride. You’re just going to have to accept that people care about you and don’t want you throwing your life away over the Gym Challenge. Enough people die in the Wild Area, we don’t need you adding to that.” Leon’s words are harsh, but you know he’s only doing this because he cares.

You sigh deeply. “Guess I just have to hope I get the okay then, huh?” It’s not ideal, you want something to put your efforts into so you don’t go insane with boredom and self-loathing again.

“Well, you have to get the okay to go _with me_ accompanying you. Your chances of that are higher than you think.” Leon winks, then bursts into boisterous laughter. You only roll your eyes, though a smile tugs at your lips.

It’s true – he’s the Champion, after all. If you’re ever going to be allowed in the Wild Area, it’s with him. And he’s right, it isn’t worth dying over, either. You sigh, as it’s not a great reminder this morning. You’re getting a bit bored here; you want to get back to the Gym Challenge. Leon still hasn’t managed to get time off yet, however. It seems being Champion keeps him quite busy. You don’t want to try the Wild Area without him, however.

After breakfast and getting ready for the day, you let Leon take you to the Center. It’s bigger than the one back in Motostoke, and it takes you a bit longer to get seen here. This is partly due to the fact that they have to request your patient information from the Center you were at in Motostoke, but at least you’re put in a room while that’s happening. Leon comes with you and takes a seat at one of the chairs near the bed. You want to argue, but Leon only gives you a look that lets you know there’s no arguing this.

Finally, a doctor comes in to see you. She introduces herself, then spends a while reviewing the notes your other doctors left. She asks you a bunch of questions, looks over your leg, then does similar movement tests to what you’ve had before. You’re sent off for an x-ray, and Leon waits in the room with your Pokémon.

After all of this, the doctor turns to you. “So the question now becomes, do you want to do the surgery that could possibly repair your nerve damage caused by the pinched nerve? You told your previous doctor that you wanted time to think about it, but if you wait any longer, we won’t be able to perform the surgery.”

Crap, you’d forgotten about that. Leon raises an eyebrow at you, and you laugh nervously. “I forgot about that…” You mutter quietly, and Leon looks disappointed briefly.

“I’m afraid you don’t really have a lot more time to think. Maybe a day or two, at most, but even now I’d say you’ve waited so long that the success rate has reduced.” She purses her lips, and taps a pen against her chin.

That makes up your mind for you. “The doctor in Motostoke said there was a pretty big chance it wouldn’t work anyways, so if that’s the case, there’s almost no point, no? The nerve damage means I don’t feel as much pain, anyways. It’s kind of numb.”

“It’s going to be harder to walk with it, you know,” she warns, concern marring her features.

“I know. I can learn how to walk again. I’ve done it before.” You clamp your hands over your mouth – you weren’t supposed to say that. Leon gives you a warning look, but the doctor doesn’t seem to think much of it.

“Were you injured before? If you’ve done physiotherapy before, you’ll have more success with it again. If you’re confident that you don’t want the surgery, you can begin physio.” She turns to type something into her computer while she talks.

“Uh, yeah, as a kid. I’d like to begin physio, then.” The doctor nods, and continues typing.

“In that case, I’ll send for the physiotherapist.” She excuses herself and leaves, and Leon sighs when she’s gone.

“That was close, be careful about mentioning that kind of stuff.” Leon glares lightly at you, but it doesn’t carry much weight. He looks more concerned than angry. “You sure you’re willing to live with a partially functional leg for the rest of your life?” He leans forward, and grabs onto one of your hands. His hands are rough, but warm.

“I am. It sucks that I have to _again_ , but I’ll only get depressed if I do the surgery, it doesn’t work, and I have to sit out the Gym Challenge regardless. Might as well enjoy myself and do something that I can be proud of, no?” It was the same excuse you’d given Hop, but Leon reacts differently.

He sighs and shakes his head. “I can’t say I approve, but this is your decision. If you think pushing on is the best answer, I won’t stop you.”

You were expecting more of a fight than that. You don’t mind this, however. “Thank you.”

The physiotherapist comes in eventually, and you’re walked through a bunch of new exercises to do. Leon and your Pokémon watch so they can help you later. After being shown them all, you’re given a sheet with the instructions on how to do each and how often to be doing them. Then comes the big question.

“Is it safe for her to do the Wild Area?” Leon asks, resting a hand on your shoulder as he stands next to you. “I’d be with her, so keep that in mind as a factor.”

“Not right now. When she can walk consistently, yes, but until then it would be best she focus on recovery. Continue with those exercises, and give walking a try several times a day for a few minutes at a time. Come back tomorrow and we’ll go through these exercises again here, so I can see how you are progressing.” The physiotherapist wishes you well before leaving, and Leon wheels you out of there in your wheelchair.

“Shouldn’t I be practicing walking?” You ask as Leon tries to navigate the hallways.

“You’re going to need a better walker first, I think! One with one of those seats, so you can sit when you need to. And that has the wheels so someone can push you.” Leon’s attempts to describe what he means bring a laugh out of you.

“The one I have right now has wheels, don’t they all have wheels?” You shake your head, exasperated.

“Nope, I’ve seen ones that don’t. Or there’s ones that only have one set of wheels. But yours just has little wheels, what I’m meaning are the bigger, heavy-duty kind that can still roll with you sitting on the walker.” You feel a little silly now, you didn’t think there might be different kinds.

“Oh, ok, where would we even get something like that?” You have no idea if they have accessibility aide stores here or not, but you’re assuming that’s where you’d go for something like that.

“No idea! I’m going to ask up at the front counter, as soon as I can find it, that is!” Leon sighs, but it turns into a self-depreciating laugh at the end.

“Turn left here, the sign says so.” You point up at the ceiling with the hanging sign, and Leon laughs louder.

“Thank you! Please keep navigating for me! I’m hopeless!” So that’s exactly what you do. You get your little group to the front counter, and get directions to a place you can buy something like Leon describes.

With you navigating once more, it doesn’t take that long to get to the store. A clerk helps you find the kind of walker Leon requests, and you test it out by walking down one of the isles. Leon stays beside you and holds his arms out like you might fall, but you don’t. This new walker is much sturdier than your old one, and it’s comfy enough to sit in and be pushed around. After testing it out, Leon buys it for you, and does indeed let you use it on the way home. He alternates between letting you walk for a bit with it to pushing you along in it.

“I’ll donate your other walker, but I’m keeping the wheelchair in case you ever need it again,” Leon explains. Your Pokémon are currently playing in the wheelchair as Leon wheels you in the new walker.

“Oh, thanks, I appreciate that.” You look up as you reply, and he smiles briefly at you.

“I’m sure the Center needs them, there’s always more people like you getting themselves injured, after all.” Leon’s eyes flick down to you as he speaks, before looking back up to watch where you’re going. Not that it helps, he’s gotten you two horribly lost.

After a while more of navigating around, you glance at the time on your Rotom-phone. You frown when you notice how late it is, and you speak up. “Don’t you have to go to work soon?”

“Why, is it really that late already?” You show Leon your Rotom-phone, and he curses, “Shit, we don’t have time for me to take you home. If I do, I’ll be late. This isn’t something I can be late for either, dammit. Sorry, you’re going to have to come with me!” Leon turns in the direction of Rose Tower.

“That’s ok, I understand. I don’t mind, really!” Leon sighs with relief at your words.

“It’s going to be pretty boring there, I’m warning you now!” Leon looks almost…worried, you think? It’s hard to tell from this angle.

“That’s ok, really, my Pokémon and I will keep ourselves entertained,” you promise, and Leon nods.

“Thank you. I’ll arrange for a way to get you home as soon as I can,” Leon assures, wheeling you the whole way there. He doesn’t let you walk, as you walk too slowly still.

“Why don’t we take Charizard?” You ask, genuinely curious, as it would save time.

Leon leans forward, and whispers near your ear. “Quiet. If I let Charizard out here, we’re going to get mobbed by fans. I don’t have the time or the energy right now to deal with that. So be careful what you say while people are around, alright?” Leon looks around like someone might’ve overheard him.

“Oh, sorry, I wasn’t even thinking of that,” you admit, frowning. Even with you trying to direct him, you still barely make it to Rose tower on time. It would have been easier to fly there, but Leon knows this world, and his city, far better than you do, so you trust him when he says you can’t do it.

Rose tower isn’t something Leon’s taken you to yet, so you’re a little excited to see what this massive tower holds inside. It’s clear it’s the Macro Cosmos headquarters – you see lots of MC logos around – and employees wear badges with the same logo. Leon wheels you inside, and straight onto a massive elevator.

“Floor?” A woman standing near the buttons asks, and Leon gives her the floor number.

“We’re running late, I have to go see Rose first, then I’ll put you in my office,” Leon informs you as the elevator moves.

“Ok, I understand. I’ll survive on my own, I’m sure,” you offer with a small smile, though it doesn’t seem to reassure him any. He’s fidgeting and shifting his weight like he’s nervous, and you wonder if Rose has anything to do with that.

The elevator eventually comes to a stop, and Leon takes you down a hallway, into a large office. Rose is seated behind an elaborate desk, Oleana standing before him reading from a report. Leon doesn’t bother to knock, just throws the door open and comes in with you.

“Sorry I’m late!” He announces as Oleana turns to look at the two of you. She raises an eyebrow at Leon, but Rose is the one to speak up.

“And you brought Kieran? Why is that?” He asks, rising from his chair.

“No time to drop her off back at my place. My own fault for not keeping a better eye on the clock. I’ll take her to my office, I just wanted to let you know I’m here.” Leon’s voice sounds odd, like it’s strained, and you look up to try to see if you can figure out why.

“Ah, no need, she may stay. I would love to continue our conversation from Hulbury.” Rose walks out from behind the desk and comes to stand in front of you. It’s a little intimidating, as he doesn’t lower himself at all to your level.

“Oh, you two had a chat in Hulbury?” Leon sounds nervous, and one of his hands comes to rest on your shoulder, squeezing it.

“Yes, we had dinner after her and Hop won their Water Badges. It was quite the lovely dinner, I do hope you all enjoyed the rest of it!” His voice is charmingly sweet, but it only makes you feel sick.

“Uh, yeah, we did,” you answer, hugging your arms to yourself protectively.

“Please, follow me, we can speak on the way.” Rose gestures for Leon to come with him, and he leaves the room. Leon pushes you along with him, and you hear the clicking of Oleana’s heels telling you that she’s following too. “So Kieran was telling me about her wild journey to Galar. Why did your family decide to help her out?” Rose is walking beside Leon, so you thankfully don’t have to see him.

“Oh, her wild journey to Galar, yeah.” You never shared your lie with Leon, you might be in trouble.

“You know how I came from Unova cuz I got really drunk and just kind of wound up here?” You laugh nervously, turning to Leon to see if he’s catching on. He raises an eyebrow and nods subtly.

“Of course. Well, you know how I have family in Unova, right?” Leon’s turned to Rose to speak, but this is news to you. “Iris asked me to look after her once we all figured out what happened. She’s a friend of Iris’, you see,” Leon is completely fabricating this, but you’re thankful you recognize the name Iris. You know her from one of the Pokémon video games you played. You didn’t realize she may be real, and that she would be related to Leon. It made sense when you thought about it, however.

“Ah yes, Iris! Talent truly runs in the blood of your family! Is she still Champion?” Rose muses, you’re sure it’s meant to sound kind, but it just makes chills run down your spine.

“No, N took it back earlier this year.” The conversation moves without you.

“Ah, Natural, another talented trainer! Still trying to impress that girl, is he?” Rose chuckles, and you try to follow along with the conversation. You know who N is, at least, from playing the video games.

“I believe so, yes. I haven’t spoken with him since he took the title.” Leon wears a dark look on his face, and stares straight ahead. You’re not sure if this is something because of Rose, or because N dethroned his cousin.

“So you’re taking care of Kieran as a favour to Iris, hmm? How kind of you.” Rose doesn’t sound as happy as his words imply.

“Yes, we couldn’t very well leave her to fend for herself here! Besides, and rather unsurprising given she was friends with Iris, but she’s become a good friend to Hop, too. And to me as well! At this point we’re helping her because she’s like family to us.” Leon squeezes your shoulder, and you reach up and rest your hand over his. The sentiment brings tears to your eyes; it’s so nice to hear that this family sees you as one of their own.

“I see. How wonderful! Though I do wonder how you met Iris! I’m sure that’s quite the tale. Unfortunately, it’ll have to wait, as we have a meeting to attend. Leon, you can leave her in the break room for now, we’ll retrieve her after,” Rose instructs, and Leon follows his orders.

He ditches you and your Pokémon in the break room. At least there’s a TV in the room, so you’re able to keep yourself entertained for the entirety of the meeting.

Rose, Leon, and Oleana come and get you when it’s finished. “You know, I see you with your Pokémon everywhere you go. Don’t like keeping them in their balls?” Rose asks you as he leads your group down the hallway. Where you’re going now, you’re not sure.

“Uh, no, they don’t really like to be in their balls, either. It’s just easier to keep them out,” you reply, and Rose turns briefly to give you a look.

“Interesting. Most people find it easier to keep them inside their balls. I’ve not heard of a trainer finding the opposite to be true.” You shrug, not sure what else to say to the man.

You’re left in Leon’s office after that, thankful that they have other tasks to go off to do without you. It’s a relief to be away from Rose, mostly. You and your Pokémon poke around Leon’s office a bit, but otherwise spend the time scrolling idly on your phone while your Pokémon watch.

Eventually, Leon is able to take you back home while on a break, but he leaves to head back to Rose Tower as soon as he helps you into the house. You rummage up a late supper for you and your Pokémon before getting ready for bed on your own. Your Pokémon help you with your exercises and stretches before you hop into bed. You’re just getting comfy when you get a text from Leon.

**Leon:** (Don’t get too comfy, we’re going to give Iris a call when I get back!)

(Ok) **:You**

This must be to back up Leon’s earlier story, you imagine. You groan, but otherwise set in to keeping yourself awake until Leon gets home.

(Won’t it be really late for her?) **:You**

**Leon:** (Different time zone in Unova, it’s a normal hour there right now.)

**Leon:** (Which is why we have to call when I get home.)

**Leon:** (Sorry if you wanted to sleep.)

You sigh at the answer, but text back anyways.

(I understand. It’s ok, I’ll keep myself awake!) **:You**

You go and watch TV to keep yourself up, as Leon doesn’t return until really late into the night. In fact, you’ve dozed off on the couch by the time he comes home. He’s shaking you awake at some ridiculous hour.

“Hey, thanks for trying to stay awake. Are you ready to do this? I wish I could say we could do it another time, but it’s important we get our story straight as soon as possible. Rose cannot know where you are from. Under any circumstance. Do you understand?” Leon sounds oddly serious about this, in a way that frightens you.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m awake now,” you respond, sitting up on the couch. Leon takes a seat beside you and pulls out a laptop. “Hey, I had a question before we call her, though.” You tug on his sleeve when he doesn’t immediately give you his attention.

“Hmm? What is it?” He turns his amber eyes on you, dark in the dim light the computer screen offers the otherwise unlit room.

“How are you related to Iris? I mean, I’ve heard of the Weather Wall a few times now, how do you have family on the other side of it?” It’s been bugging you since Leon first mentioned it.

“Oh, my Dad travelled across it when he was young. He was one of the lucky few who made it safely across. He was from Unova, so the rest of his family still lives there. His sister had Iris, so that’s how I’m related! I had no idea about this until we got that connection set up with the rest of the world a year and a half ago, but since then we’ve been getting to know one another. We’re pretty close now! I’m sure she’ll do this favour for me.” Leon turns back to the computer when he’s done explaining, opening up a video calling application.

“Does that happen often? People travelling across it?” Leon shakes his head in response.

“Not usually, no. It’s pretty rare. It’s usually only one of two reasons. They come here searching for something beyond the Weather Wall, which is more common now that people know there _is_ something beyond it. My Dad falls into this category. He came here after becoming Champion in Unova and getting bored. He could never beat Master Mustard, though,” Leon chuckles briefly before continuing.

“Or they come over by accident. Going off course, getting dragged into the Weather Wall, unfortunately it happens. Kabu falls into this group. I don’t think I’m at liberty to share his story, but you can ask him about it one day. It’s not private knowledge that he’s from Hoenn, so if he feels like sharing his story with you, he will.” Leon has Iris’ contact information pulled up on the screen, but he hasn’t pressed call yet.

You didn’t know Kabu wasn’t from Galar. That would explain why he had a different accent to what you’d heard. You just chalked it up to him being from some small town like Marnie was. “Huh, I didn’t know Kabu wasn’t from Galar.”

“I’m surprised he’s never brought it up with you! Perhaps he assumed you already knew? Anyways, do you have any other questions?” You shake your head. “Great! I’ll call Iris then!”

It doesn’t take terribly long for the girl to pick up. She looks similarly to how you imagined she would look, only older. “Lee! What’s this favour you wanted?” She’s just as loud and expressive as the rest of Leon’s family, and you somehow aren’t surprised.

Leon scratches his head before answering. “Well, I’m lying to my boss, and I need your help covering this lie.”

“Whaaat?! Ooo, this is juicy! Give me _all_ the details!” She demands, bouncing in her seat, brown eyes glowing with excitement.

Leon launches into the full tale, and you have to jump in to help convince the girl you’re really from a world without Pokémon.

“Huh, I’ve heard of someone like that before! That girl that N’s trying to impress, I think she’s from there too, if I remember right.” Iris taps her chin, thinking about it.

“Really? There are other people from my world?” You ask, incredulously. It would be nice to meet someone who you share a common background from.

“Yup! I think. She’s pretty talented, though she only became Champion here very briefly before renouncing it, she did complete the Gym Challenge! I was a Gym Leader then, too, I remember fighting her. She can communicate with her Pokémon without words like N can, so she’s a tough opponent. I didn’t get to finally fight with her full out until the World Championships! And I lost!” Iris wails, raking a hand through her unruly purple hair.

Leon smiles. “This one here can do that too! I wonder if coming from the world without Pokémon has something to do with it?” He wraps an arm around you, pulling you against him.

“Really? How cool! Hey, haven’t you always wanted to battle someone like that?” Iris teases, and Leon laughs in return.

“That’s right! Which is why it’s important to keep up this lie. So please, if anyone asks you, Kieran came from Unova and is a friend of yours,” Leon pleads, and the girl grins in return.

“You got it! Give me her number, we’ll text to really sell it! I got your back, Cuz!” So you exchange numbers with the promise to text each other.

It’s when you yawn and start rubbing your eyes that Leon finally calls it for the night. “As much as I love catching up with you, Iris, it is bloody late here, and we both need to get some sleep. We’ll catch up in the future!”

“Oh you bet we will, you owe me now, after all!” She laughs, crossing her arms proudly. Her laugh is just as boisterous as Leon or Hop’s is.

“Yes, I promise, we will,” Leon sighs, rubbing your back as you lean against him.

“Oh jeez, yeah, look at the time! It’s not late, it’s morning there! Go sleep!” She ends the call after that, and Leon lets out a chuckle.

“She reminds me so much of Hop,” Leon admits, the light of the laptop dancing in his eyes.

“I was going to say the same thing. And you. Your whole family is alike!” You shake your head with a laugh, and Leon shifts to pick you up.

“Oh really? You think so?” He muses, carrying you up to your room.

“Hmm, yeah,” you yawn, “you really are.” You let Leon tuck you in, and he wishes you a goodnight as he shuts off the light. It doesn’t take you long to find sleep.

Only, sleep doesn’t find you for long. You’re thrown into a horrible dream – a nightmare, really. A great, hulking beast is chasing you. You can’t make out much more than that, as you run for your life away from it. The beast gets closer and closer, as you keep looking back over your shoulder to see it. Fear courses through your body, your heart thrumming loudly in your ears as your feet pound the ground.

The beast grows closer and closer, and you throw your arms over your head to shield yourself as its shadow looms over you. Except it passes right through you, and keeps lumbering forward. It’s then you realize it’s not you it’s chasing.

It’s Hop.

You see him running for his life ahead of you, the beast getting ever closer. He screams when the beast picks him up, and a cry rips out of your throat as you watch the beast begin to eat Hop.

You sit up in your bed just as Leon throws the door open. “Are you alright?!” He cries, immediately at your side. You’re shaking and crying, tears beginning to pour down your cheeks. Leon wipes them tenderly. “Nightmare?” He asks, and you nod in response.

He moves to sit beside you on the bed, wrapping his arms around you and rubbing your back. You lean into his embrace, and slowly begin to calm from his comfort. The nightmare made you worried about Hop, however. “I-it was about H-Hop.” Your voice wavers as you try to speak.

“About you two fighting?” Leon asks, petting your head as you look up to him.

You shake your head. “N-no, it was about Hop getting e-e-eaten by a m-monster,” you sob, shaking with the fading memory of the dream.

“What can I do to comfort you?” Leon asks, looking worriedly into your eyes.

“I…” You have to think for a minute. What would comfort you? Being held like this is nice. You think about what sorts of things comforted you in the past after a nightmare. “I usually cuddle with a stuffed animal to go to sleep after stuff like that. Do you happen to have anything like that?” It feels a little embarrassing to ask for, and a blush creeps its way onto your cheeks in response.

Leon also blushes, however. “I, er, do actually. But you have to promise never to talk about this with anyone, alright?” Leon gives you a light glare, to which you nod, and he gets up and leaves. He returns momentarily with a large Charmander plush, very similar to the one Hop has. Only this one looks worn and well loved.

He hands it to you as he takes a seat on the bed beside you again. “Thank you,” you chirp, wrapping your arms around it. It smells like Leon; does he sleep with this? “Hop has one just like this, but his looked pretty new. What happened to yours?” You hope he’ll answer to your prodding.

He blushes again, and looks away. “You promise you’ll tell no one of this ever, right?”

“I promise,” you reply, grinning already even before he’s told you.

“I… Sleep with him. For comfort.” You raise your eyebrows at this, you didn’t expect that from the Champion of Galar. “Let me explain! My Dad won them for Hop and I at a carnival in Wedgehurst shortly before he died. I started sleeping with it every night after. It…reminded me of him. After that it just became habit. He still reminds me of my Dad-” Leon reaches around you and ruffles the fuzzy head of the plush, “so I still keep him around. Hop keeps his around for the same reason, but I don’t think he ever slept with his like I did. Then again, Hop was pretty young when Dad died.” Leon sighs, pulling you into his arms and dropping his chin atop your head.

“I’m not one to judge, I think it’s cute. Are you sure it’s ok that I use him tonight then?” You hug the sentimental Charmander gently to you as Leon shifts you into a position you’re both comfortable in. He’s got your back pulled to his chest, his arms around you and the Charmander in front of you.

“Yes, I’m sure. I survive without him all the time, I’ll be ok.” Leon gives you a reassuring squeeze, and you nod, well nod as best as you can with his chin resting on your head.

“Thank you, again.” Though you really do appreciate the gesture, the fear of something bad happening to Hop hasn’t left yet. “Hey, do you think you could give Hop a call? Just to make sure he’s ok? I know it’s horribly late, but I’m just… I’m worried, after that nightmare… And I’m not going to _stop_ being worried until I know he’s ok.”

Leon tenses for a moment. “You know, now that you mention it, I haven’t heard from him yet, either. He should have made it to Hammerlocke by now. I’ll give him a call, let me go get my phone.” He gets up off the bed, taking you with him. You squeak in surprise, then he’s setting you back down by yourself on the bed.

You look at him sadly, but he leaves the room anyways. You were hoping he’d take you with him, but he did not. You stand on your good leg, and reach for your walker, following Leon into his room. You set Charmander on the seat of the walker before following.

You don’t see Leon’s room very often, but it’s hard to make out much in here now with the lights off. “Oh, you’re coming in here? Ok, that makes this easier. I’ll call him now. Take a seat.” Leon gestures to his bed as he taps away on his Rotom-phone.

Flopping onto the bed, you drag Charmander off the walker and pull him to you. Your Pokémon decide to stay in your room, going back to sleep after your screaming woke them up. Leon presses the phone to his ear as he waits for Hop to pick up. His face quickly falls, however, and he pulls the phone away from him to look at it.

“It went straight to voicemail,” he breathes, looking at you with raw fear in his eyes. All at once he collapses onto the bed next to you, and tries calling Hop again. So close like this, you can hear when Hop’s voicemail immediately picks up the call. Tears are building in Leon’s eyes, and you rest a hand over his arm to comfort him, only to feel him trembling beneath your hold.

“That’s… Maybe he’s just turned it off for the night?” Your voice squeaks, panic filling you as quickly as it fills Leon. Leon sets the phone aside, and pulls you into his arms, hugging you tightly. He begins to openly sob, and it’s all you can do to rub his back while you cry in return.

“What if something’s happened to him?” Leon’s voice is barely a whisper, more a breath than anything, and you only hear it because his face is right next to your ear.

“I don’t know Leon. Oh god, I hope not. I really, really hope not.” You sniff loudly, reaching up to wipe the snot and tears from your face.

“Stay with me tonight. I don’t want to be alone right now,” Leon begs, and you nod. It’s not like you want to be alone right now, either. He shifts the two of you under the covers, pulling you close into his arms. The Charmander is between the two of you as you face him, squished as Leon clings to you. It’s not the most comfortable, and it’s way too hot, but it’s exactly what you both need right now, so neither of you moves to change things.

The two of you quietly sob together until sleep claims you. You’re not sure if Leon ever falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here have some angst there's not enough in this story yet lmao
> 
> I have no idea how or why Kabu came to Galar, I just know he’s from Hoenn originally. And I also don’t know how or why Leon and his family are related to Iris, I just know they are. So I used that and made up my own answers creative licence! One day you all will get tired of my bullshit and stop reading I’m so sorry.
> 
> I’m still debating if I want to write the one for Unova. Because yes, there is an equally convoluted, overly long, reader insert story for Unova, too. N is obviously the main love interest. I’m DEBATING. This one is already so time consuming to write. And I have TWO OTHERS going on now like I clearly want to die or something.
> 
> I almost finished Chapter 33 so I am back babeyyy we can keep the schedule lmao


	39. Chapter Thirty-Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I missed Wednesday, I worked a week of hell where I was pulling 11 hour days being a day home for a 3 year old autistic boy and his 9 year old sister. I am fucking DEAD.
> 
> Thank you to my betas, Ember564 and Audzilla28. I love you both <3

You wake to the sound of a phone ringing. It isn’t a familiar ringtone, so you’re not sure who is calling you. As you blink awake, you’re reminded where you are – sandwiched in Leon’s arms. Leon groans and shifts, grabbing the phone from behind you on the nightstand.

“It’s Hop! Thank Arceus!” Leon calls out too loudly for how early in the morning it is. He sits up, pulling you up with him. You squeak at the action, and Leon puts the call on speaker. He presses a finger to your lips and looks at you, then says aloud, “Hop?”

“Yeah Lee? I got in to Hammerlocke this morning and got the notification that you called. What’s up?” Hop sounds tentative, but fine, he sounds absolutely ok, and you could not be happier. You choke out a sob, trying to stay quiet but failing.

“I’m so relieved to hear that! I was beginning to worry when I hadn’t heard from you! That took you a lot longer than I thought it would!” Leon sighs, running a hand down his face.

“You… Aren’t mad? I thought you were still mad at me,” Hop’s voice sounds fragile over the line, and you wish you could reach out and hug him.

“Of course I’m still mad! But more than anything, I…” Leon trails off, and looks over at you. “You know what? Nevermind. I don’t want to get into it with you this morning. I just wanted to make sure you were still alive.” His voice sounds drained already, and you wonder if he’s holding back yelling at Hop since you’re here.

“Oh. Sorry, I guess I should have told you I planned to take extra time in the Wild Area to get some training in…” Hop’s voice slowly fades out towards the end; he sounds so broken.

“Ok. We’re having a talk later. Bye, little brother,” Leon laments, closing his eyes for a moment and pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Later, Lee,” comes Hop’s reply before the line cuts. Leon drops the phone and runs his hands over his face.

“He’s ok,” you breathe out, and Leon nods through his hands.

“Had me worrying over nothing… At least now I know he’s fine. Ugh, it’s too early for this.” Leon collapses backwards into the bed, taking you with him.

You grunt, slightly winded from the force of it, as your back hits his rock hard chest. “Don’t you have work?” You look up at him.

He shakes his head, smiling softly. “Not today, day off. Though that’s because I have to get some training in, so it’s not technically a day off, but that can wait until I’ve had a proper amount of sleep.” Leon tugs the blankets back around the two of you, seemingly decided that you’re just going to sleep here with him again.

“Oh, ok.” You’re not about to complain about this development. Tucked into Leon like this, you feel safe and warm and sleepy enough to drift back into an easy sleep for a few more hours.

You awake next because Leon shifts you out of his arms, jostling you awake. You blink your eyes open to see Leon leaning over you, messy purple hair tumbling around both of you, shielding the two of you from the rest of the world a bit.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” Leon’s raspy voice makes your heart thud harder in your chest. You hope Leon can’t hear it, because you certainly can.

“It’s ok, I was ready to wake up,” you whisper back, and Leon offers you a small smile.

“Want to come training with me today?” He asks, excitement filling his voice as his eyes light up.

You could kiss him. He looks so beautiful like this. “Of course!” Your reply is automatic.

Leon takes you out to the Stadium with him, and you spend the day watching Leon drill his Pokémon and train with the other high level trainers present. Your Pokémon and Drizzile are trying their best to follow along with the drills, but by the time the battles roll around, they’re all too tired to take part. They all still have a long way to go to be on the same level as the rest of Leon’s Pokémon.

You spend the next few days in a similarly domestic routine. You almost don’t want it to end. When Leon comes home one day and announces, “I got time off! We can leave in a couple days,” you almost don’t want to go. Your Pokémon remind you of the battles you’ve yet to win, and how much you want to reach Leon’s level to challenge him. They’re right, and you can’t do that until you complete the Gym Challenge. Which means leaving this cozy life behind to go back out to the wilderness.

But you’ll have Leon to yourself for an entire week. This is enough to get you smiling brightly back at him. “About time! I can’t wait!” You respond from the back of Dragapult while cooking supper. It feels like no time at all until you’re packing up your things and getting ready to head back to Motostoke to take on the Wild Area.

Leon buys your supplies in Motostoke, and gets you both hotel rooms at the Budew Drop Inn that night. The plan is to leave bright and early in the morning to get some good progress in. You get comfortable in your large bed with Raboot, enjoying your last sleep in a comfy bed for a week.

Morning comes all too soon, awoken by Leon pounding on your door. “Ready to go?” He asks, all dressed and ready to go while you’re still in your pajamas, so he helps you get ready for the day. Then the two of you, and your Pokémon, are off to the Wild Area.

It’s strange to be back out here. You never made it to the gates of Motostoke, so this is your first time seeing them. There’s a long set of stairs down to the rest of the Wild Area, and Leon has to carry you down it. It’s kind of nice that it’s so long, as you get more time to enjoy being in Leon’s arms.

Leon sets you down at the end of the stairs, helping right you against your walker. “Welcome to the Wild Area!” Leon announces as he sets you down.

“It’s… A little weird to be back…” You admit quietly, limping along slowly while Leon keeps pace with you.

“I can imagine. Don’t worry, I’m not going to let anything happen to you out here, nor am I going to let you go off on your own,” Leon promises, running a hand through your hair as he walks beside you.

“Thank you,” you reply, smiling softly at him. He gives you a wide grin in return, and begins leading you off into the Wild Area. Leon lets his Pokémon out with yours, happy to be surrounded by his team out in the wilderness.

“Ah, my favourite part of coming camping like this! Getting to spend time with all of my Pokémon!” Leon pets the heads of each of his Pokémon in turn, before each runs off a ways. None go so far that you lose sight of them, but they all seem happy to be out and able to play and explore.

“Well now I feel really safe!” It’s unlikely you’ll be attacked with so many strong Pokémon around.

“Good! I’m glad to hear that!” Leon begins to explain your course through the Wild Area as Charizard leads your group on the proper path. No one trusts Leon to know what that is, and you don’t want to spend extra time walking if you don’t have to. It’s easier to let Charizard lead, when the large Pokémon knows the Wild Area so much better than either you or Leon do.

Leon turns everything he can into a lesson, most of which you learned from Kabu when he gave you the Wild Area lesson over two weeks ago. The refresher is nice, however, so you don’t stop Leon from talking. Not like you have much to say; being back here puts you on edge in a way you weren’t expecting. You’d rather just let Leon do the talking for now.

“So what are you hoping to get out of the Wild Area?” Leon asks as the sun is beginning to hit its peak. You’re on Dragapult’s back, getting too tired and sore early on from all the walking. Leon keeps a light jog as Dragapult flies beside him.

What you _don’t_ say is, _closer to you,_ but Charizard is able to pick up on it through your bond from up ahead and teases you about it regardless. “Well… I’d like to catch another Pokémon, hopefully. The Gym Challenge is starting to get really hard with only two Pokémon. Hop’s already got _four_ , and he might even have more by now! I’m falling behind the other competitors, and I’m already at a disadvantage to begin with! So another Pokémon, ideally. Oh! It would be cool to fight a wild Dynamax Pokémon, too. If that’s at all possible with my leg.” You look over to Leon as you finish explaining, only to see him beaming at you.

“That’s not just a possibility, it’s highly likely we’ll have to! Part of my job is calming down wild Dynamax Pokémon, and that always requires fighting them, as they’re out of control. So if we see any glowing Pokémon dens while we’re out here, we will have to go take care of them!” Leon explains, though he sounds excited at the prospect.

“Why are they out of control?” You remember hearing about this before, but it’s been a while, and it’s probably better to be reminded of these things.

“Well, when a Wishing Star touches a Pokémon, it causes that Pokémon to Dynamax and lose control of itself. That’s why we use the bands to Dynamax, as it limits the power so our Pokémon don’t lose control of themselves. But out in the wild, here, Wishing Stars can sometimes fall and hit Pokémon. If they hit Pokémon living on or around a Power Spot, they Dynamax. It does wear off eventually, but they can cause a lot of damage and destruction before it does. Which is why it’s one of my jobs to get them under control.” Leon gestures with his hands as he answers your question, still keeping his jogging pace.

“Huh, what other jobs do you have?” You ask, leaning forward against Dragapult’s head.

“Out here? Quite a few. A lot of what I have to do comes down to monitoring the area. You know, making sure no one’s breaking any laws, making sure Pokémon habitats aren’t being harmed or destroyed, though that’s more something I’d be worried about if I had a Field Medic with me. But I don’t, and I don’t know enough about different habitats to know when they’ve been damaged, so we don’t have to worry about that one. Usually my biggest concern is poachers and kidnappers.” Leon glances over at you when he’s finished to gauge your reaction.

“You guys have things like poachers and kidnappers too? How depressing… What do they do that for?” It breaks your heart that anyone could hurt these beautiful creatures like that.

“Well, there’s a lot of Pokémon that people want their meat or fur, and people look to illegal means to obtain it when they can’t get such things legally. Others kidnap Pokémon to sell to people. A lot of this is done in the Wild Area, since it’s so large and hard to monitor. So I have to keep an eye out for stuff like that.” Leon’s voice carries a weight that tells you this breaks his heart, too.

“And you’re solely responsible for this?” You frown, it sounds like a lot of work for one person.

“Arceus, no! There’s a whole team of people who survey the Wild Area that work under the League. They report to either Raihan or Kabu, depending what city they’re situated in. Raihan and Kabu report to me.” It relieves you to hear that this isn’t all on Leon’s shoulders.

“So you’re kind of the one in charge of all this, huh?” It still sounds like exhausting work – being Champion comes with so many responsibilities.

“Kind of? I _am_ the person in charge of all this!” Leon laughs, which causes you to laugh too.

“Oh, yeah, I guess you would be,” you agree, covering your giggles with your hand.

“We may not have to check out habitats, but there are a few endangered Pokémon clusters I want to check out, to make sure they’re all still doing ok.” You remember learning a bit about endangered Pokémon from Kabu’s lessons.

“Those are the ones that you need special permission to catch, right?” You want to clarify to make sure you’re remembering correctly.

“That’s right. Now, I am one of the people who can grant those permissions, so you don’t have to worry so much about the restrictions. If there’s a Pokémon you want, and I think you can handle taking care of it, I can write up the paperwork for it when we get to Hammerlocke.” Leon grins at you. “If there’s anyone I’d trust, it would be you. You can talk with Pokémon in a way the rest of us can’t. You can likely handle Pokémon the average person wouldn’t be able to handle.” How nice of him to offer such a thing for you.

“Thank you, I appreciate that. Tell me, how do you remember which ones are endangered or not out here? It’s not like you can look them up.” It’s nice that you don’t have to worry when you’re with him, but you’d like to know in case you’re ever _not_ with him.

“Yes you can, your Pokédex app lists the endangered Pokémon that you can’t catch! You just have to go into that list,” Leon corrects you, pulling out his own phone and showing you where to find it.

“Handy! Thanks, that’s useful to know!” Leon continues telling you more about endangered Pokémon after that, as it’s something he’s very passionate about.

“A lot of Dragon-types are endangered, through hunting for sport. It was legal until about 30 years ago, but people still try it.” Leon wears a disgusted look on his face as he talks about the poachers.

“How awful. There’s a lot of animals like that where I come from, too.” You reach out and give his arm a squeeze, and he offers you a sad smile.

“Really? I guess some humans are fucked up no matter where they’re from.” There’s no humour in his voice, just sadness.

Leon offers you a piggy-back ride after that, to give Dragapult a break. It’s nice, wrapping your arms around him, being supported by his broad back. “It’s a good workout for me!” Is Leon’s excuse to carry you on his back like this. It sounds suspiciously familiar to Hop’s excuses, too.

Eventually, it starts getting late, and you have to set up camp and cook up a proper meal for dinner. The hours on Leon’s back were nice, and it still feels like it’s over too soon when he puts you down. “Hop tells me you’re not half bad at this cooking thing. I’m right awful at it, but I’m also right awful at setting up the tents. But you can’t help with that anyways, so I guess I should leave you to cooking duty while I get to work on the tents!” Leon decides for you without any input from you.

“Ok, sure, that works for me. I am getting better at this cooking thing. I’ll do my best!” You vow while you get some of the Pokémon to help you prepare the ingredients. Leon gets to work on his tent first, getting the help of Charizard, Rhyperior, and Dragapult. By the time Leon gets his tent set up, you’ve finished making supper.

“That smells pretty good! We’re taking a break for supper, everyone!” Leon announces, coming to take a seat right next to you.

“But then it’ll be dark by the time you have to set up my tent.” You’re concerned, because you know how much Hop struggles to set up your tent. So much so that he often would chose to not set it up at all.

“And it was once my tent! It’ll be fine!” Leon’s voice is assuring as he begins to help you dish up food for all your Pokémon.

Supper isn’t half bad, in your opinion. Leon gushes about it, “It’s so nice to have someone who can _actually_ cook to cook for you!” It’s still new to you to take such praise, so it causes you to blush brightly. You hope that with only the dying light of the sun and the fire, it’s not terribly obvious.

Supper is finished, and you’re cleaning up the dishes when it happens. Leon breaks your tent. “Shit!” Leon curses as the poles snap loudly, and the fabric of the tent tears as a broken pole pops through it.

You gasp, turning to look at the mess that was once your tent. “Leon!”

“I’m really sorry! Ok, before you say anything, yes, you warned me, and this is one hundred percent my own fault. I’ll get you a new one. But not tonight, it’s too dark. We can go back to Motostoke in the morning and get one, and start over from there, or we can keep going with just my tent and I’ll get you a new one in Hammerlocke.” Leon’s offer to just keep using his tent is incredibly tempting.

So tempting, it’s exactly what you go with. “Let’s just keep going, then. We’re already this far. If we have to start over, it’ll put us on a time crunch, wouldn’t it?” You ask, and Leon nods.

“You’re right, it would. In that case, it’s best we just continue on. I hope you don’t mind sharing a tent with me!” Leon booms, a smile on his face. He seems almost…too happy about this development.

Charizard thinks he broke the tent on purpose.

“Not at all! I mean, we shared a bed the other night, this really isn’t that different.” You blush at the memory, it had been so nice to sleep in Leon’s arms. Maybe you’d get to do it again.

“Good! I’ll get your bedroll and sleeping bag set up in my tent, then!” Leon grabs your bag and brings it into the tent with him while you go back to washing up the dishes with Drizzile and Raboot.

Leon comes back out to sit with you when he’s done. “Lovely night, isn’t it?” He asks, looking up at the sky. You look up to catch all the stars, and smile.

“It is! You can see so many stars!” You gush, and Leon grins wide.

“It reminds me of home. Postwick, I mean. You can see the stars like this back there, too.” Leon holds a sad look in his eyes despite the smile he wears.

“Yeah, you can! I guess you must miss Postwick, huh? Hop said you don’t get to come visit often.” You draw your lips into a line as you meet his eyes, and he nods.

“That’s right, and I do miss my family a lot. But more than that, sometimes I just miss…life there. How simple and easy it is. Being out here reminds me of that, too. Things are simple out here, too,” Leon sighs, looking back up at the sky.

“Being Champion sounds hard.” From everything you’ve heard, it sounds like so much more than you thought it would be. Leon has a heavy weight to bear on his shoulders. That cape weighs more than it looks.

“It is. Rose piles a lot on my plate. But I do enjoy it, even if I regret some of the sacrifices I’ve had to make along the way. There’s a price to pay to be the best, and I pay it in free time and seeing my family,” Leon laments, reaching out and wrapping an arm around your shoulders, pulling you into him. “I worry about Hop throwing himself into this kind of life. As much as I want him to, so he’s out here with me, you know? But also, I know how hard it is, and I worry about if he can handle it or not.”

“I think he can handle it. He’s a lot more responsible than you give him credit for.” Hop took good care of you while you were in his hands, and though he may be young, he’s got a solid head on his shoulders. You think he could handle it, given time.

Could you handle it, though?

You don’t have long to dwell on it before Leon is picking you up to take you off to bed. Raboot follows you inside the tent, wanting to sleep with you as he usually does. Leon’s Pokémon and Corvisquire are all quite content to sleep outside sprawled around the tent, so Leon zips the tent closed behind Raboot. He sets you down on your bedroll, then goes over to his bag to begin digging out clothes to change into.

You notice he’s done the same trick Hop used to do. He’s set your bedrolls up beside each other. You blush darkly at the realization, only to blush darker when you look over and Leon is already half-naked as he strips casually in the tent. You quickly look away, going to your own bag to dig out your own clothes. As much as you want to see more of that, you also don’t want Leon to see _you_ watching him. Because that would be mortifying, your face is blushing so hard you can feel the heat radiating off it.

“Oh, sorry, are you waiting for me to turn away? I promise I’m not looking, you can change!” Leon says suddenly, and you realize you’ve been staring at the pajamas in your hands.

“Um, thank you,” you reply, looking over to see Leon has finished changing and has his back turned to you. You quickly change – mindful of your leg – with Raboot’s help. “Ok, I’m done,” you inform him when you’re fully clothed, and Leon turns back around, crawling over to his bedroll.

“Ready for bed, then?” He asks, crawling into his sleeping bag beside you.

“Yep, night Lee.” You slide down into your sleeping bag, Raboot cuddling in with you.

It fails to surprise you when, not long into the night, Leon throws an arm around you in his sleep. At least, you assume it’s in his sleep. You don’t want to think about the implications of it not being in his sleep.

Morning comes too soon, and you’re on breakfast duty while Leon dismantles the tent and cleans up the mess that is your tent. “Can’t just leave it out here, that would be littering! We’ll dispose of it properly once we’re back in the city.” Leon explains as he stuffs it into his bag.

Leon carries you on his back for a while again, after you’ve walked for a short while. You can’t do long distances or anything yet, but Leon isn’t even letting you walk until you’re sore. “I’d rather preserve your leg than have you hurt it out here,” is Leon’s explanation for that. You’re not about to complain, though. It’s nice to be carried. It’s nicer to be carried bridal-style, but piggy-back rides are great too.

You rest your head on his shoulder and talk about random things with him while the sun climbs the sky. You break for lunch when the sun hits its peak, pulling out the cooking supplies and working together to try to whip up something for lunch.

Leon is so bad at cooking. Any time you look away, he’s messing something up. It’s almost easier when he’s _not_ helping, because then at least you don’t have to keep one eye on him. Lunch is a disaster, and barely edible, but you manage to get it down. It gives you the energy to get some more walking in during the afternoon, at least.

Ahead you can see the massive pillars of the bridge you came across to get back to Motostoke. “Ah, Motostoke Bridge!” Leon points out, “These bridges always look so impressive from down here in the Wild Area. A right marvel they don’t get taken out by Pokémon, in my opinion, but I don’t really know that much about bridges.”

“They’re so tall.” You have to tilt your head way back to see the top of the bridge.

“Well, most of the Wild Area is in a valley, so that’s what happens when you want to build cities higher up on the mountains in order to defend them. When you later want to connect those cities, stuff like this-” Leon gestures up at the bridge, “is needed.”

“Galar history is so cool, that’s why Motostoke has a big wall around it?” You ask, pointing back towards the massive wall that surrounds the city.

“Uh, yes, that’s right. I’m pretty sure. I should pay more attention when Raihan is telling me this stuff. If you want to know more, you should check out the Vault in Hammerlocke. There’s lots of stuff about the history of Galar in there,” Leon answers, scratching his beard.

“Guess I’ll have to do that. Sounds interesting!” You chirp, continuing to walk slowly alongside Leon.

The moment your leg buckles the first time, Leon is picking you up to carry you. He’s not carrying you on his back this time, either. He sweeps your legs up in one arm, and catches your back with the other, pulling you into his chest. You wrap your arms around his neck, going red as he carries you bridal-style. Raboot and Corvisquire helpfully grab your walker for you so Leon can carry you.

Leon’s Pokémon trade off the walker as well, so your Pokémon can get some training in on the wild Pokémon here. They’re strong and aggressive, and will often openly attack your group without fear. Leon tries to let you and your Pokémon take care of most of them, for the training, but most of them are far too strong for your Pokémon to take on. Leon’s large group of strong Pokémon has a lot of powerful Pokémon targeting you.

The two of you are taking a break to heal up Raboot, who got hurt pretty badly by a charging Mudsdale. Leon and his Pokémon had stepped in to take care of it for you, and protect Raboot. “The wild Pokémon out here are so aggressive!” You complain, spraying a potion over Raboot’s wounds.

“Of course, it’s not called the Wild Area for no reason!” Leon laughs, but you shake your head.

“It feels like the Pokémon out here are so much stronger and more aggressive than before. Is it because of all your Pokémon being out? Are we being targeted because of that?” You pat Raboot’s head, even he feels the Pokémon out here are stronger than before.

But Leon only shakes his head. “Well, partially yes, we are attracting _more_ Pokémon than usual because we’re a larger group, but the Pokémon out here are always this strong and aggressive. That’s why this place is so dangerous, and why there’s such a high bar to beat to be allowed out here.”

You frown, no wonder you got hurt out here so easily. This truly was not a place to be taken lightly. “Well that sucks and I hate it. I’m glad you’re here with me.” You shudder to think about what things would have been like without Leon.

“You and Hop would have been fine, if that’s what you’re worried about. Though getting you another Pokémon really would help, too. None have wanted to stay with you yet?” Leon asks, concern pulling his brows down.

You shake your head. “None.”

Leon nods. “Not unusual, the Pokémon in the Wild Area are less likely to want to stick around with a Trainer. They like being on their own.”

“Oh,” you sigh, that explains a lot.

“Shall we set up camp soon? Both you and your Pokémon are looking pretty tired. We should be able to find a safe place to set up camp somewhere around here.” Leon sends his Pokémon off scouting with a hand signal, and then turns to you.

“Yeah, that sounds good. My leg hurts, it’d be nice to call it for the day.” From where you’re sitting on the ground, you begin to massage your bad leg.

“We’re ahead of schedule, so it’s fine if we call it early today.” It doesn’t take long for one of Leon’s Pokémon to come back with news about a potential camping spot, so Leon picks you up and carries you off to it. You blush once again, thankful Leon either doesn’t notice this, or has the sense of mind to not call it out.

It’s a little early for dinner, so Leon sets you down on the grass while he gets to work on the tent. “If you dig around in my bag, I brought some toys for the Pokémon to play with. You can toss a ball or two for them, there’s a few different ones in there,” Leon calls from his place beside the tent, holding two poles up while Charizard carefully attaches them together.

Sure enough, in the bag are a few different balls, a feather on a stick, and a remote control toy on wheels in the shape of a Skwovet. Raboot loves the feather on a stick, and you’re having to constantly throw balls for different Pokémon. Who knew Leon’s Pokémon all liked to play fetch so much? Dragapult and Haxorus bat a ball back and forth between them, while Corvisquire uses his wings and beak to practice keeping a ball in the air. You grin from ear to ear watching the Pokémon play, as such massive beasts having such fun with a ball is really a cute sight to see.

Leon comes and sits beside you when the tent is pitched. “Having fun?” He elbows you in the side as he picks up a ball and easily tosses it way farther than you were able to. A few of Leon’s Pokémon go chasing after it, and Leon lets out a laugh.

“Yes! I think it’s contagious, since the Pokémon are all having fun too.” You grin at Leon, and he grins back.

“That would make a lot of sense! Oh, I did bring a toy for us, too,” Leon goes digging through his bag, and pulls out what looks like a handheld video game console.

“What’s this?” You ask as he presses it into your hands. He presses the power button, and sure enough, it’s a video game console.

“A handheld! Have you ever seen one before?” Leon asks this like he believes he’s showing you one for the first time.

“Yes, we have things like this where I come from, too. Ours just look different.” You roll your eyes at him, and he laughs. He takes the console back from you to pop a game in, then hands it back to you once more.

“Try this one, it’s similar to the one we were playing the other night,” Leon suggests as it boots up, and you nod. The two of you spend the night playing with your Pokémon and playing the video game, Leon once again being a horrible backseat gamer. He’s distracted by playing with the Pokémon some of the time, luckily, though he does play it all through you preparing and cooking dinner.

Honestly, it’s a relief he’s distracted, because dinner is much more edible than lunch was. You dish up bowls of food for everyone, and Leon finally put the game console down to eat. He’s been narrating to you everything that’s been happening while you were cooking, so when you start up again after dinner, you’re not lost or confused about what’s going on.

Eventually it gets late enough that you need to go to sleep. Leon tucks the console back into his bag, along with the toys and dishes from dinner, then helps you into the tent. Once again, the beds are right beside each other. Once again, Leon just expects you’ll change in the same tent without issue. Though Hop was the same, so you’re not sure if it’s a Galar thing, or a family thing.

Either way, Leon turns away to give you privacy to change upon request, then he’s pulling you into bed with him. As cozy and wonderful as this is, you have to know why he keeps doing this. “Why did you set our beds up so close together?”

“Well, there isn’t really any other way to set them both up.” Which is a total lie, there could be some space between them.

“Then why the cuddling?” It makes you blush, asking it. It’s clear Leon notices, too, cuz his face goes from surprised to wearing a shit eating grin the moment you feel the blush spread across your cheeks.

Then Leon balks for a second, unsure how to actually answer the question. “Uh, well, I told you how I like to cuddle with that Charmander plush, right? It’s just…nice to cuddle with someone, I think.” It’s Leon’s turn to blush now, which doesn’t go unnoticed by you.

Are the two of you flirting? You have no idea, this is new territory to you.

You let the subject drop, regardless. You settle in with Leon, curling up against him as he throws an arm around you. He’s right, it really is nice to cuddle with someone. You miss cuddling with Hop, but this is somehow different than that. Maybe it’s the way Leon engulfs you, something Hop could not do being so much smaller than Leon.

You eventually fall asleep, tangled with Leon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is literally just more self-indulgent Leon fluff and I feel 0 shame.
> 
> It's so hard to find Dragon Pokémon in the wild. I wanted some sort of in-universe explanation for that. Also tell me Leon wouldn't be passionate about Pokémon preservation. He's also a fucking disaster but we all love him anyways.
> 
> Also Leon you little shit, suggesting the girl who JUST CAUSED A FIGHT in your relationship to go TO THE PLACE where you fought yes so smart I'm sure nothing could possibly go wrong there.
> 
> I spent my second trip through the Wild Area much like my first- screaming as I dodged Pokémon after I ran into a Braviary that nearly wiped my party. How did your second trip through the Wild Area go?
> 
> Thank you for all the love and support I get from you guys. It really means a lot. I can't believe how many of you keep coming back, week after week, and read my work. Like honestly what wow there's so many of you and I love each and every one of you. I watch the view numbers climb higher and higher, and I'm still getting more kudos each week, so clearly I keep trapping more of you here. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, all of you. And yes, that means you lurkers, too. I love all of you.
> 
> If you want to talk Pokémon, roleplay, or even play some Switch games together, hit me up on Discord (MightyMage#8983) or Twitter (@MightyMage5). My name is Brooks and I use he/him pronouns. I look forward to meeting you guys!


	40. Chapter Thirty-Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Ember564 and Audzilla28 for being my beta readers.

Waking up with your back pressed against Leon’s chest is nice. Until you realize what’s poking your butt. Then a bright blush covers your face, but Leon’s still asleep, and his arms are locked tight around you, so there’s no going anywhere unless you want to wake the man. Which, you’re not sure you do. You’re not sure what to do.

Leon eventually wakes up, releasing you and rolling away to stretch. You try not to sigh in relief, just in case he notices, and pretend to start waking up when he does. “Have a good sleep?” He asks as he sits up.

“Yeah, actually, I did.” It’s not a lie, you did sleep well. Just…the morning held a surprise, and you were not going to mention it at all. Leon begins getting ready for the day, so you do too, Raboot helping you change as you confirm Leon is looking away before changing.

Today goes similarly to the last two days, except today you walk under Tower Bridge. It’s so long that you can’t see either end from the point you walk under. Today is slightly foggy, though, so it’s more that the ends are too covered in fog to see. It makes the bridge seem massive, and it is, but it feels so much more mystical with the fog.

“Wow, it looks so cool with the fog,” you point out, riding on Dragapult’s back again.

“It does, doesn’t it? There are so many interesting sights here in the Wild Area. It’s one of the reasons I love coming here. It’s so scenic.” Leon stares off towards one of the ends of the bridge, a contemplative look on his face.

He’s walking today, because Charizard is flying slower due to the fog. He doesn’t want to get you all lost, so he’s being more careful. You’re thankful, as this is the last place you want to end up getting lost in, even if you are with Leon.

“Hang on Charizard, there’s a Mawile cluster nearby that I wanted to check on. Do you think we can find them in this fog?” Leon asks, jogging up to his partner.

Charizard is confident in his navigation skills, so he assures Leon that they’ll at least make an attempt to find the Pokémon group. You wish you could be of help, but your bond with Pokémon really won’t come in handy for this.

You do manage to find the group of endangered Pokémon, though. Leon gets you to stay back with the rest of his Pokémon, taking just Charizard with him to inspect it closer. He comes back after a few minutes, smiling brightly. “Everything looks good! The mother with babies there is still doing well, and the habitat looks undisturbed to me. Though I really don’t know much about that. All Mawile that are a part of that cluster are accounted for, which is the most important part!” Leon boasts, and you sigh with relief. It’s nice to hear they’re ok.

“Are Mawile an endangered species?” You ask as Leon comes up beside you.

“Yes, they are. There’s this cluster and one other remaining. There’s many in captivity, but wild? Not many remain. They’re cute and docile, and strong, so they’re desirable as partners,” Leon explains as you begin making your way back on path.

Charizard pushes on later into the day than normal, just so you can make up some of the lost ground due to speed and searching out the Mawile cluster. It’s beginning to get dark before you all stop for dinner, which means Leon is busy with the tent while you take on dinner. Which means another rather good meal – things really do go better when Leon isn’t helping.

Leon helps you clean up the dishes. You really feel like you’re getting closer with Leon, so you want to tell him more about yourself. Specifically, about the you from the world without Pokémon. “Hey, Leon, how much have I told you about what I’m like where I come from?”

“Not much. You told me you looked older there when I was getting your ID, but that’s about it, as far as I remember.” Leon scratches at his beard as he thinks.

“Ok, so I haven’t told you much. I don’t look much at all like this, where I’m from. I’m not even female.” You look over to him to watch his reaction.

“What?” He drops the bowls he was cleaning. “Oops, what do you mean? You’re…a guy?” Leon asks, confusion written all over his face.

“Yep. No idea why I’m in a girl’s body here, either.” Leon nods, though he still looks confused.

He looks up at the sky. “I wonder why? Only Arceus knows, I suppose. We don’t even know how you got here. There’s so many mysteries surrounding you. I suppose one more isn’t really that strange a thing.”

“When you put it that way, yeah. There’s a lot we don’t know. It’s kind of scary sometimes.” You shiver, and hug yourself.

Leon looks at you sympathetically. “I can only imagine. Well, I suppose it doesn’t really matter right now, does it? Not much we can do about any of it from out here.” Leon’s tone jumps back to cheery so easily.

You nod, because he’s right. There’s no point feeling bad about missing home, or scared about what could happen next, when you can’t do anything about it anyways. You finish doing the dishes, and head to bed with Leon. He doesn’t treat you any differently despite the revelation, still turning away to give you privacy to change. He still throws his arm over you when you go to bed.

Falling asleep and waking up in Leon’s arms is beginning to feel like a normal occurrence. It’s wonderful, and you really wish it didn’t have to end. But the sun rises on another day, and you have to get up to get going. Breakfast is whipped up while getting Leon to entertain the Pokémon to distract him, just to make sure it’s edible. You’re becoming pretty good at finding distractions to keep the Champion busy.

Leon suggests training today. Against each other. This isn’t something you’ve really done before, so you’re not sure how this is going to go. “Like a battle?” You ask nervously.

“No! You’re nowhere near ready for that! I mean, you try to take down one of my Pokémon! You can use both of yours against one of mine, and you can pick which one of mine.” You begin to think about which Pokémon you’d have an easier time taking down. You settle with his Aegislash, as you have type advantage against it with Raboot, and he doesn’t have type advantage against you, that you’re aware of.

Leon commands his Aegislash like he would in a battle, so even with the two against one, he’s a tough opponent to beat. So tough, in fact, he knocks Corvisquire out cold with one powerful attack. “Shit!” Leon curses as he runs over to the downed Pokémon. “I didn’t mean for that to happen!” He quickly digs a potion out of his bag, spraying the silver bird. Even though he wakes up, he still needs a few minutes to recover, so Leon picks him up and carries him.

“He’s ok, he’s not upset, he knows he could have dodged that better,” you try to inform Leon to comfort him, as he looks so sad about hurting your Pokémon.

“I’m so sorry. Some training! You’re not going to learn much if I’m just fainting your Pokémon right away! I feel awful!” Leon sighs, sadness swimming in his golden eyes.

“Really, it’s ok, even he knows he deserved that one. Neither of us were expecting he’d go down in one hit like that, but we should have been smarter about dodging it.” You pat Leon’s shoulder, though he doesn’t look any more relieved to hear that.

“We’ll have to watch our strength next time!” Leon promises, carrying Corvisquire until he’s recovered enough to fly on his own again. Leon doesn’t ever put any of his Pokémon back in their balls, and he doesn’t hassle you about keeping yours out either. He enjoys spending the time with his Pokémon, similarly to you.

“We should take some pictures of them!” Leon announces suddenly during dinner, after you’ve set up camp for the night.

“Huh?” You’re not sure where this is coming from.

“Our Pokémon! They’re all so cute together, we should be taking some photos of them together!” Leon pulls out his phone, and begins messing around with the camera, taking a few shots.

You shrug and pull out your phone, taking some pictures as well. You spend the night snapping photos of the Pokémon and each other, laughing as you try to get silly shots or photo-bomb each other. It’s so easy to be like this with Leon, and this definitely feels flirty, but it also reminds you so much of your time with Hop that a pang goes through your heart.

“Hop…” You whisper as you grab at your aching heart.

“You really miss him, don’t you? You must like him quite a lot.” You nod automatically to that, not realizing the implications. “Do you have feelings for him?” Leon prods, and you sit up and blush a bright red.

“W-w-what?” You stutter, eyes wide. How could he call you out on it that easily?

“It makes a lot of sense. The way you talk about him, it sounds like you view him as more than a friend.” Leon crosses his arms and looks at you, one hand resting against his chin.

“Well… Ok, yes, kind of, I maybe have feelings for Hop,” you rattle, hugging yourself and looking away from Leon’s piercing gaze.

“Really? Is that so? And yet you sit here and flirt with me, interesting.” Leon’s words make your heart pump faster, and you whip back around to face him. He’s smirking like he’s onto something.

“S-so I have feelings for more than one person, i-it’s not that strange!” You argue, and Leon’s eyes light up like he just hit the jackpot.

Which he did. You just accidentally admitted to having feelings for the man. Flustered and embarrassed, you slap your hands over your mouth quickly, like that could pull the words back. Leon laughs, and hooks his fingers into yours, pulling your hands away.

“So you have feelings for me?” He taunts, and you can only nod. There’s a look in his eyes you don’t recognize as he leans in.

It takes a second to register. He releases your hands, cupping the side of your face with one, while the other rests on your waist, pulling you slightly closer to him. His eyes are closed, and the breath he blows out his nose tickles.

He’s kissing you.

You gasp with the realization. Your eyes flutter closed as you press your lips back into his. You wind your hands up around his neck. The arm around your waist slides further around you, tugging at you as if he wants you to climb into his lap. You let his hand guide you, straddling his legs as he pulls you into him. He nibbles lightly at your lower lip, and you gasp again. He uses this opportunity to slide his tongue past your lips, and you tentatively reach out with your own.

You feel like you’ve died and gone to heaven. This is everything you could have ever wanted it to be and more. It’s incredible to be kissing him like this. He holds you tight, kissing you deeply and passionately in a way you’ve never been kissed before. He tilts your head and deepens the kiss, and you let out a breathy moan into his mouth.

Too soon, he’s pulling away, light of the fire dancing in his amber eyes. “I feel the same,” he whispers against your lips, and you shiver with the action. His hands trail up and down your back as he leans in to kiss you again. You more eagerly kiss back this time, knowing how he feels about you.

Eventually, it’s time for bed, though the kisses continue even when you’re both laying down in bed. You giggle as he whispers goodnight against your lips, eyes fluttering closed and sleep claiming you easily.

You dream of dancing with Leon that night, warm in his embrace the whole night.

Which is a relief, because you wake up to a horrible snowstorm. You shiver as you crawl out of the tent, and Leon immediately wraps you up in his arms. “Did you bring an extra jacket?” He asks, and when you nod, he begins digging through your bags for warmer clothing. You both crawl back into the tent and dress more appropriately, layering up more.

“What is the weather here?!” You demand as Leon carries you against his chest. You can’t push your walker through the snow, and Leon refuses to let you try in case you injure yourself further, so you relent to being carried. Once again, it’s not like you’re complaining.

“The weather in the Wild Area is completely unpredictable and totally, well, wild! Different Pokémon affect it differently, as well. So there’s likely a cluster of Ice-type Pokémon going through here, causing the storm!” Leon explains, and you purse your lips. The cold sucks, but at least Leon is being extra attentive because of it. Or maybe it’s because you two kissed last night. You haven’t talked about that yet this morning.

Leon holds you close to his chest, the fur of the collar of his jacket tickling you. It looks a lot like Hop’s jacket, but darker, and it looks much warmer than the sweater you have. You shiver as the cold gets to you. “You don’t have anything warmer than that?” He asks, concern in his voice.

You shake your head. You just had the clothes Sonia bought you back in Motostoke, and this sweater is all that you have. “Remind me to get you something actually warm for you in Hammerlocke. You’re going to need it. Let me know when you start getting too cold,” Leon adds, letting Raboot jump up in your arms to help keep you warm.

Leon takes off his jacket and lets you wear it for a bit when you start to get too cold. It doesn’t last long, as it’s Leon’s only jacket, and even in long sleeves, he gets cold too quickly. You’re more sort of sharing the jacket at this point, taking frequent breaks to warm up with a fire.

By the time evening rolls around, you’re both freezing, so you’re quick to prepare dinner and retire to the tent for the night. Charizard protects you from the cold while Leon sets the tent up, and then you both scoot inside it, huddling together with Raboot for warmth.

In the isolation of the tent, Leon leans in and kisses you again. You tilt your head and let him, letting go of Raboot to instead wind your arms around his neck. When Leon wraps his arms around your waist, Raboot decides he’s had enough of this, and hops out of your lap, snuggling into the sleeping bag. Leon kisses you sweetly, his lips moving against yours gently. One of his hands comes to tilt your chin, and he deepens the kiss as he slides his tongue into your mouth.

It’s absolute bliss, and you hate when he pulls away. You chase after his lips briefly, and he smirks at you. “Enjoying yourself, are you?” He taunts, before diving back in, giving you no chance to answer him. You huff out your nose when he kisses you again, and you feel the chuckle he lets out more than hear it, as it rumbles against your lips in a way that tickles.

Your heart is racing a mile a minute, but so is his you can tell, as you lower one hand to rest over his chest. His heart is beating harder than yours, and it makes you feel less embarrassed about how worked up this gets you. His hands push and pull you until you’re both laying down, arms wrapped around you as he lays beside you. He doesn’t break the kiss at all while he lowers you to the bed.

You’re the first one to need air, pushing weakly at Leon for him to let you go. He does, and you gasp in a fresh breath of air. Leon lets out another chuckle, amusement dancing in his eyes as he catches his breath. “For the record, yes I am,” you finally answer him when you’ve caught your breath. He lets out a full laugh at that.

“So am I. You’re not too bad at this.” It still boggles your mind that he feels the same way. He’s the Champion, he could be with anyone he wants to be, and yet here he is, picking you. It’s incredible. You nuzzle into his neck, and he runs a hand through your hair.

“Can’t say I have a whole ton of experience, so thank you,” you reply, keeping your face buried in his neck.

“Guess we’ll have to fix that, won’t we?” Leon flirts, tugging you away from his neck to kiss you again. You swear you’re getting drunk off it. Leon tugs you into his sleeping bag with him without breaking the kiss. It’s a tight fit, definitely cozy and warm, and perfect for continuing to make out. Raboot grunts in your sleeping bag, annoyed at this development. He wants you to be cuddling with _him_ , not Leon.

It’s so cute that when you and Leon are done making out, you roll over and let Leon spoon you while you hold Raboot. You stay in Leon’s sleeping bag with him, though, because it’s just warmer that way. Raboot grumpily accepts this compromise, falling asleep on his own in the large empty sleeping bag with your arms around him.

By morning, the snow has cleared up completely, and it’s back to being a nice, sunny day. “Ah, look, over the hill there! Hammerlocke! It’s still quite the ways off, but we can see it now!” Leon points up the hill to your left, and sure enough, there’s the black Dragon city lurking amongst the mountains in the distance.

“It’s so pretty,” you admire, turning to stare at the beautiful city.

“You think so? I think Wyndon is nicer.” Leon sounds offended, and you can’t help but laugh.

“No way, Hammerlocke already looks way cooler than anything in Wyndon, and I haven’t even _seen_ the city!” You jab, and Leon scoffs loudly.

“Oh, Raihan is going to _love_ you.” You can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic or not.

Leon’s acquiesced cooking duties to you by this point, so breakfast goes off without a hitch. Leon even lets you get some walking in during the morning while you train. Charizard continues to lead you on the path up to Hammerlocke.

“Ah, there’s a lake up ahead. We can rest and bathe there, if you’d like. I know I want to! I stink!” Leon laughs, pinching his nose closed.

“Bathing sounds wonderful.” You also smell bad, this has been the longest stretch of time you’ve been on the road for. Normally you’re able to bathe in Centers or wherever you’re staying by now, but you won’t make it to Hammerlocke for another couple days.

Leon strips down to his underwear, and tells you to do the same as he digs out soap and a towel from his bag. You didn’t pack the same, so you give Leon a pleading look. “Don’t worry, we can share. The water’s going to be cold, just warning you now!” Leon announces before he jumps into the water. It gets deep quick; Leon’s already thigh deep and he didn’t really jump that far from the edge of the water.

He cries out when he lands, taking a few steps deeper into the water. “Oh it’s cold! Fuck!”

“Should I maybe not go in?” You ask as you sit down and get your trousers off. It feels a little strange to be down to a bra and panties in front of Leon, but you did just make out two nights in a row, and share a bed multiple times now.

Leon grins evilly, taking a quick lunge in and grabbing your good ankle. He hauls you bodily into the water, kicking and screaming. He laughs while doing it, mischief lighting up his golden eyes. He lets you go when he’s dragged you into the shallow part of the water, and you scream as you feel the sting of the cold water against your skin.

“Holy hell, Leon! You’re an ass!” You cry out, getting the bright idea to splash him back with a smack of your hand against the surface of the water.

He shrieks as the water hits him, raising his arms to shield himself. So you splash him again. He tries to retaliate, but you have him on the defensive, laughing maniacally as he desperately tries to shield himself from your attacks. Your Pokémon all watch on, cheering mostly for you, as Charizard laughs at his Trainer’s misfortune.

Eventually Leon finds your ankle again, and pulls you further into the water, nearer to him. You scream as the cold water climbs you further, and Leon pounces on top of you. “Got you.” He pins your hands down to your sides, the water coming up to your chin now.

“I surrender!” You beg, and Leon laughs.

“Only if you kiss me.” It’s not a hard ask. You lean in and seal your lips against his. He hums appreciatively, releasing your hands.

Only to splash you in the face with water. He leans back, guffawing at his own antics, while you desperately shovel water back at him, shrieking. Eventually you calm down when he stops laughing, and he helps you out of the deeper part of the water.

He helps you bathe properly after that, as neither of you want to spend longer than you have to in the cold water. It was fun for a minute, but you’re both beginning to shiver. Leon pulls you out as soon as you’re done, handing you to Charizard who has the towel ready. Charizard helps you dry off while Leon waits, wringing his hair out while you finish towelling off.

You change while Leon dries off, changing into new underwear as yours are soaked. You make sure Leon isn’t looking, but like the perfect gentleman he is, he’s turned away from you to dry off. Once he’s changed, and you’re both feeling better due to being clean, you’re on your way again.

As the sun begins to set, Leon begins hunting for a safe place to camp. “We’re really close to Braviary and Mandibuzz territory now, so I want to make sure we’re a safe distance away before we set up camp.”

“What area is that?” You ask, looking as Leon points over to your right.

“All along this ridge, all the way to Hammerlocke. The entirety of the Dusty Bowl is their territory. They’re vicious, so it’s safer to just stay out of their way,” Leon explains, gesturing to show the territory as he does.

Once sufficiently far from danger, Leon begins to set up camp. A rainstorm begins to set in just as Leon gets the tent up, so dinner is abandoned in favour of eating some dry food inside the tent. Leon recalls a few of his Pokémon to keep them safe from the storm, Charizard included, and the two of you talk lightly and cuddle while the sounds of the rain lull you to sleep.

The rainstorm is still going by morning, so you can’t rely on Charizard to navigate for you. With the storm, you can’t see where Hammerlocke is, either, so you try your best to use a compass to navigate, as you don’t trust Leon. You know you need to go north, so as long as you keep heading in that general direction, you shouldn’t get too off course, right?

Unfortunately, you’re wrong, as you end up near a lake instead. “Huh… We shouldn’t be near a lake… Where are we?” Leon asks, scratching his beard like he’ll think of the answer.

“I’m…not sure. I got us lost, I think.” You frown, you hate being lost.

Leon just laughs. “I thought you didn’t get lost!” He teases, elbowing you lightly in the side.

“Yeah, well, that’s when I know more about the world. I don’t know what lakes are around here. What lakes are near Hammerlocke?” You ask, throwing your weight against Leon in retaliation. He throws an arm around you to catch you, and tucks you into his side.

“Well, there’s the Lake of Outrage… By Arceus, this is the Lake of Outrage, it has to be!” Leon lights up at the realization, grinning from ear to ear. You’re both soaking wet from the storm, but at least you aren’t lost now.

“See? I don’t get lost. Ha.” You poke Leon’s side, and he ruffles your wet hair.

“Ok, you win this round. Let’s find a cave or something to hunker down in until this storm passes. We can continue making our way to Hammerlocke when the storm is over.” Leon picks you up so you don’t have to try walking in this storm, and begins hunting for some place to wait out the worst of the storm.

“What’s the Lake of Outrage?” You’re curious why it has such a name.

“Oh! A lot of Dragon-type Pokémon live on the other side, so it was named after them.” Leon nods his head out at the opposite side of the lake, but you can’t see anything in this storm. Leon does fine a cave that you two hunker down in. “We’re way off course, if we’re here. Guess that means there’s no harm in checking it out, once the storm clears. We’re going to be late hitting Hammerlocke at this rate anyways.” Leon lets out a deep sigh, his back to you as the two of you change into dry clothes.

“Are you going to be in trouble for being late?” You ask, worried about Leon.

“Probably. It’s not your fault, though. I should have rushed us along a little more.” You two took a lot of time to search areas for potential Pokémon partners, so you naturally blame yourself for this.

“I’m really sorry,” you apologize, but Leon only shakes his head at you.

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He crosses his arms, having none of it. “Now, come here, I’m cold.” He then opens his arms, and drags you closer to him. The two of you cuddle and play on his game console until the rain passes.

It’s later in the afternoon when the skies clear up enough for Leon to let Charizard back out. “Charizard, my friend! Want to take us across the Lake of Outrage?” He asks, petting Charizard’s head as he appears. Your bond with Charizard tells you he doesn’t much like being in his ball, which explains why Leon leaves him out of it so much.

Charizard nods, excited to go training at the Lake of Outrage. Raboot hops on Corvisquire’s back, and Leon recalls the rest of his Pokémon as you fly the brief flight over the lake, to the island on the other side.

One of the first things you notice on the other side is a large beam of light shooting up into the sky. “An active den,” Leon says darkly. “I hate to take you with me to an active den _here_ , as this is extremely dangerous, but I’m afraid I don’t have much of a choice. I’ll hang onto you while we’re done there, and hopefully things turn out alright. If you help me order my Pokémon all at the same time, we should be fine.” Leon taps his chin as he contemplates a strategy for taking on the Dynamaxed Pokémon in the den.

“Why is this so much more dangerous here?” You ask, nervousness filling your voice.

“This is the Lake of Outrage. The strongest Pokémon live here. It’s likely a full grown Dragon in there rampaging. They’re not easy to take down. Don’t worry, I have years of practice and a solid exit strategy, we won’t _die_ down there. We may get hurt, though,” Leon clarifies, though it doesn’t do much to make you feel better.

As Charizard starts to fly lower, you begin to realize what you thought was ground was not. It’s actually just a thick sandstorm that you’re lowering into. “For fuck’s sakes, a sandstorm too?!” Leon curses, and you have to close your eyes to keep the sand out. You have no idea where you’re going now.

“Is that bad?” You call out behind you to Leon.

“Not really, it won’t be going on in the den. I just fucking hate sandstorms!” Leon swears so casually about it, and his tone is jovial as he disses sandstorms.

“Why?” You already don’t like them, but Leon sounds so impassioned about his hatred, it has to have a reason, right?

“Because of Raihan and his bloody fucking sandstorms every single time we battle! Oh trust me, you’ll grow to hate them too. Raihan _loves_ his sandstorms.” Leon’s tone drips with his usual excitement for battle, despite the words he’s using.

Charizard hits the ground then, and you try to peak through your eyes to see what’s going on. It’s hard with the sand, as it stings your eyes, so you just keep them closed and rely on the eyes of your Pokémon to see. Not that they can see all that well, either, but they’re having an easier time of the sandstorm than you are. It buffets you as your standing, and Leon has to catch you before you fall. He picks you up to carry you, walking closer to the den.

He sets you down beside it, and you try to peer down into it. You can’t see anything past the bright glowing light shooting out of it, though. “Alright, I’m going to start preparing what we need to go down there.” Leon walks you through the strategy for battle as he begins setting up a ladder at the edge of the den.

It’s complicated, but you follow along with it. All this training with Leon these past few weeks have really helped you learn his strategies and techniques, so it’s easier to understand the terms he uses when describing the plan of action.

Once you’re both ready, Leon begins the decent down the ladder. Once down deep enough, he’s going to release Charizard, and you’re to just jump down and land on his back. When you sense Charizard through your bond, you know Leon’s released him from the ball, so you swing your legs over the edge of the den and jump. Sure enough, Charizard is right there, and you land on his back. Leon’s a ways further down the ladder, and you can make out the giant Axew at the bottom of the cave.

The Axew spots Charizard before it spots Leon, and launches an attack at Charizard. Leon was expecting this, it’s part of the plan, so Charizard begins to dodge while Leon finishes climbing quickly down the ladder. Charizard keeps the attention of the Dynamaxed Pokémon on him, so Leon doesn’t get hurt while he’s stuck on the ladder. Once at the bottom, he begins releasing his whole team to cause more of a distraction, enabling Charizard to get down to the ground with you on his back.

Your feet hit the ground, and Leon’s arms are around you immediately. Charizard takes off again, going after the Axew, and Leon picks you up, running away from the Axew. You toss out your own Pokémon to help now that you’re on the ground too, and begin to help Leon direct his Pokémon. There’s a massive amount of Pokémon surrounding this Axew, so it pays no attention to you or Leon, which is exactly to the plan.

As Leon yells orders and dodges wayward attacks, you focus on instructing the Pokémon through your bond. Leon has a lot of Pokémon with moves that are strong against an Axew, so you tell Leon’s Pokémon to focus on Dragon, Ice, and Fairy-type attacks. None of your Pokémon know these kinds of attacks, so you keep them focused on dodging and being distractions.

Things are going exactly to plan, even as the Axew launches out a large attack that knocks you and Leon over. Leon tucks you into him to protect you from the fall, his back taking most of the impact. He’s winded, and needs a moment to recover, but you know what this means now. It’s time to Gigantamax Charizard to help – that was the plan if you two went down.

Leon’s coughing, unable to stand, but he hands you Charizard’s Pokéball. You know what to do, but you hope you’re able to do it. You stand and hobble closer, within range to recall and Dynamax. You recall Charizard with his ball, and tap your Dynamax band. It’s hard to stand with the heavy ball, and you’re momentarily worried you won’t toss it high enough, until Leon’s Rhyperior comes and helps you toss the ball. Flying into the air, it breaks open, and out pops Leon’s Gigantamax Charizard, ready to take on the Dynamaxed Axew.

By the time Charizard is launching his first Max Wyrmwind move, Leon has recovered enough to sit up properly. You stumble back over to him, collapsing next to him. “Are you ok?” You ask, looking him over like you’d be able to fix what was wrong.

“I’ll be fine, good work on that. Thank you,” Leon coughs as he catches his breath. He tugs you to him, watching as Charizard fires off another move. “That Axew is looking weak, if you use your Dynamax band on an empty ball, you should be able to Dynamax the ball and toss it at the Axew. Are you up for that?” Leon asks, giving you a small grin as he continues coughing.

“I think I can manage that, yeah,” you reply, nodding. One of Leon’s Pokémon comes to help you again, and you get up and get close to the massive Pokémon. Its full attention is on Charizard, so you’re able to Dynamax the empty ball and toss it at the Pokémon without any interruptions.

The massive Pokémon disappears inside the ball, and it falls to the ground with a loud crash. The ball rattles around for a moment, the light on the front still glowing yellow, and you hold your breath as you watch. Finally, it clicks green, and you let out the breath you were holding with a deep sigh, sagging inwards. The ball shrinks down to a normal size, and you collapse down next to it.

You release the Pokémon out of its ball without thinking. “Wait!” Leon shouts, a beat too late, as the Axew begins to form in front of you. You’re beginning to realize your mistake when it turns its attention on you.

You _push_ your bond across to that Axew harder than you’ve ever tried to bond with a Pokémon before. You desperately need this Pokémon to understand that you mean it no harm, that you just want to help it, help _her_ , you feel as the bond solidifies. You sigh with relief, feeling her confusion and disorientation. She wobbles a bit before looking at you, confused about what just happened. You use the bond to explain what happened to her, and she calms down quickly, crawling over to you and butting her head against you in thanks. You avoid the sharp looking tusks, and pat her on the head.

Leon sighs and visibly collapses in on himself with relief. “Looks like she likes you!” Leon calls out as he stands, coming over and kneeling down next to you. “I was seriously beginning to worry she was going to attack you. It looked like she was!” Leon wears a scared look on his face, reaching out and rubbing your back as he watches the Axew.

“She was thinking about it. She was confused.” You watch as the Axew comes and butts against Leon to thank him as well.

“Friendly little thing! Dragons aren’t normally so trusting, that bond you have with them really is something else!” Leon looks between you and the Axew, his eyes sparkling.

You grin, and look back to her. _Do you want me to release you now so you can be on your way?_ You ask her, grabbing her ball.

_No! You saved me, I must save you in return! I am indebted to you!_ The Axew insists, and you scratch your chin.

“She doesn’t want me to release her,” you explain to Leon, frowning.

“Well that’s great! That’s another teammate for you!” Leon exclaims excitedly, and you begin to realize he’s right, this means you have a whole three Pokémon to you now! Raboot and Corvisquire come over to introduce themselves, and explain to Axew about how you’re all going to become the very best in Galar. Axew is quite alright with this, she wants to be big and strong too.

She recently lost both her parents, so she’s all on her own. She’s happy she isn’t alone anymore, but she wants to get strong so she doesn’t lose anyone close to her ever again. “I think something happened to her parents. I can’t tell exactly, I’m not close enough with her to go digging through her memories, but she’s showing me some of them. It doesn’t look like they were killed by Pokémon. I think I see human weapons,” you choke out, feeling her emotions as well as your own.

Leon frowns. “I’m going to check out this den, then. There may be signs of poachers here.” Sure enough, Leon finds the remains of a camp, growling angrily.

“Fucking hell, there were poachers here! You were right!” Leon cusses, kicking at the garbage they left behind. “Didn’t even clean up after themselves either, how disgusting.” Leon begins shoveling the garbage into his bag to get rid of it himself, muttering about how gross humans are.

You’re not sure what to say, so you just stay seated where you are, petting and cuddling with your new Axew, as you try to comfort her over her new realization over what happened to her parents. She’s as mad as Leon is about humans now, but at least she trusts you and Leon. You’re worried what this might mean for her future, though.

Eventually, you leave the Pokémon den, as Leon doesn’t want to stay down there longer than necessary. “There’s lots of Dragon Pokémon still living in there, they’ll start to come out of hiding now that the Dynamax Pokémon in their den is gone, and I’d rather not be around for when that happens,” Leon explains as he begins to climb the ladder. You recall your Pokémon as Charizard flies you up to the top. You don’t have the leg strength to use the ladder, so Leon has to climb up to the top, help you off of Charizard, then recall Charizard, as he’s too large to fit through the opening of the den.

“How do Pokémon get in and out of these dens then?” You ask, looking at the narrow opening as Leon collects the ladder.

“Not from up here! There’s caves and the like that link down to the dens. They’re a maze of tunnels, a lot of them even link up together. It’s pretty easy to get lost down there. So the Pokémon enter through whatever hole they’ve made down to their home. These holes are caused by the Wishing Stars that fall, and the subsequent Dynamaxing that happens.

“Oh, that makes sense, actually.” And you could have learned that from Axew if you’d asked her first, she admonishes through the bond. The entrance she knows about is a ways away from here, but she’d be able to find it even in this sandstorm. It doesn’t bother her like it bothers the rest of your Pokémon.

“Now, I want to get the hell out of this sandstorm! Time to get back on track!” Leon releases Charizard back out, and helps you back onto his back. You recall your new Axew, as she’s too heavy with Raboot for Corvisquire to carry both. So he just takes Raboot across, since Raboot hates his ball so much, and Axew doesn’t mind her ball.

Once you’re out of the sandstorm, you’re back on track to Hammerlocke. You can see the massive wall that surrounds it from here, so you know you’re not too far away. “Another night out here, we should reach the gates tomorrow. I’d rush us over on Charizard’s back, but if the League Staff see that, they’re going to disqualify your trek through the Wild Area and say you cheated the whole way. So better to just do it properly, even if I end up in trouble for being late.” Leon’s setting up camp for the night as the sun sets, Hammerlocke tauntingly close in the distance.

“Again, I am so sorry I-” Leon cuts you off before you can apologize properly.

“Don’t, you don’t have anything to apologize for. You haven’t done anything wrong. I was the one who should have hurried us along. You actually did everything right this time, and listened to me. Don’t be sorry for that,” Leon chastises, pointing at you from his spot near the tent, holding up tent poles.

You finish with dinner and dish it up while Leon is still fighting with the tent. He gives up and takes a break to eat, causing you to have to help to get it set up in time to go to sleep. Leon’s still pissed off about the poachers, as he keeps bringing them up. You suspect that’s what’s distracting him all night, as he also finishes his dinner last. He’s normally one of the first ones done, complimenting your cooking when he finishes, but he doesn’t tonight. He barely even cuddles with you as you go to sleep, and you’re the one laying your bed rolls next to each other that night.

You’re thankful you fall into a dreamless sleep that night, instead of dreaming about something awful like the poachers who killed your sweet Pokémon’s parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we FINALLY GOT KISSED wow that sure took forever. AND we got a new partner! Finally! 
> 
> So the schedule isn't working. I'm abandoning it. I haven't been able to write in weeks. Sorry guys, I don't know when the next chapter is going to happen. I've been in a major depressive slump, with no motivation to care for myself or do anything. It feels like too much effort to even put on Netflix or Youtube. So, obviously, I haven't done any writing.
> 
> Chapter Thirty-Four will happen...some day... I'll post it whenever it happens to be ready. If this is the end, at least we got to the kissing, right?
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me. I hope you all enjoyed.


	41. Chapter Thirty-Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my betas, Ember564 and Audzilla28, as well as my newest beta, SeaSaltAndButtercups! Appreciate all of you a lot!
> 
> With that note I am BACK after taking two weeks off HELLO I bring many words.

By afternoon the next day, you and Leon make it to Hammerlocke. At Hammerlocke’s gate, a member of the League Staff waits with his Pokémon, and Leon leads you up to him.

“Show him your Challenger Ring,” Leon prompts, elbowing you gently in the side. You open your bag and dig it out, presenting it to him.

“I see you’ve successfully made it through the Wild Area. Congratulations, and welcome to Hammerlocke. Your next stop is the Gym in Stow-on-Side,” he politely informs, handing your ring back to you. Leon has to carry you up the long staircase into the dragon’s mouth that marks the entrance of the city.

The city is beautiful, in a regal, classy sort of way. You marvel at the beauty of it, tilting your head back to see all the levels of the city above as well as below you. “Wow, this city is so cool!” You exclaim, and Leon sighs.

“You think so, huh? Wyndon is better, in my opinion.” Leon sounds like he’s pouting, and you look over to him to see that he, in fact, is.

“Wyndon is boring! Look at this city, there’s big buildings in the sky! They look like the wings of a dragon from so far away! How cool that they’re actual buildings!” You point up at the large structures in the sky, and Leon only sighs louder.

“Whatever you say.” He rolls his eyes, and you laugh at him.

“You’re just jealous your city is so bland and boring to me,” you tease, and you think you see Leon blush a bit at your words.

“Am not,” he counters childishly, still pouting. “Anyways, if you don’t want to spend forever wandering the city with me, lost, you should find a clothing store and a camping store on your phone and guide us there,” Leon instructs, his tone getting more serious as he speaks.

“Ok, and why are we doing that, again?” You pull out your phone and begin looking up stores for him, leading him in the correct direction.

“You need a better jacket, that wool one isn’t going to be enough when it starts getting cold on your journey. You never know when you could face another snow storm!” Leon laughs briefly. “And I broke your tent, so you need a new one. I told you I’d get you one here.”

You’d forgotten about the tent, getting so used to sleeping next to Leon. You’re reminded that, now that you’re in Hammerlocke, you’ll be splitting ways from Leon soon. It brings a frown to your face, but you navigate Leon on the right path anyways – as tempting as it is to lead him astray to spend more time together.

“I can’t believe our time together is coming to an end already,” Leon bemoans, bringing up the painful topic for you.

Clearly, he’s going to miss it too. “Me neither. I’m sad it’s almost over already.”

“As am I. It’s nice to spend time with you. I don’t feel like I have to be anything other than Leon with you.” You’re not sure what Leon means by that, so you have to ask him.

“What do you mean?” You tilt your head back to get a better look at him.

“Well,” he scratches the back of his head, his voice sounding smaller, “to the rest of Galar, I am the undefeated Champion Leon, and I have to keep up the personality that goes with that. Even with some of my friends, I don’t feel like I can fully be myself, like they expect something more of me. I don’t feel that way with you.”

“Probably because I don’t really care about that? I don’t mean, uh, that I don’t care, just that…” You’re trying not to put your foot in your mouth, but it’s difficult. “Well, if I talked about a celebrity from my world, you wouldn’t really care, right? It’s meaningless to you without the cultural knowledge of my world to tell you _why_ they’re important. It’s the same thing with you. Sure, I know Champions are important because of the video games, but that’s not the same as growing up with the culture surrounding it that you guys have. Champion is comparatively meaningless to me, in a sense.”

“That’s true, I hadn’t thought about that. I guess it wouldn’t mean much to you, huh?” Leon looks thoughtful for a moment, scratching his beard and gazing out into the distance. He misses a turn you instruct him to take and you have to tap at his hand pushing you on your walker to get his attention and get him to turn around.

“Not really. You’re no more important or special than Hop is, or Sonia is. You’re someone I can rely on and trust – which is all I really need – so your status doesn’t matter to me.” Leon smiles down at you at your words, his hair bouncing as he nods.

“Right! That’s why I like you, Kieran. You treat me like a human being. You _see_ me as a human being first, Champion second. I really appreciate that.” His words make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, and you smile wide right up to the boutique you found on your map.

You point out the boutique when you get near, and Leon leads you inside. You stand and use your walker inside, browsing through the racks of clothing, looking for a jacket. Leon finds the jackets before you do, calling you over. There’s a few different kinds, though Leon leads you to the warmer looking ones.

A pink, puffy one with shapes on it calls your attention. Upon closer inspection, some of those shapes are actually little cartoon Gengars. It’s so cute, you tug on a sleeve of the puffer jacket to inspect it closer. “Like it?” Leon asks, coming to stand beside you.

You nod, so Leon pulls it off the hanger for you. He holds it up like he’s expecting you to try it on, so you feed your arms through it one by one, Leon helping you. It fits well, so you beam up to Leon, who smiles down at you in response.

“Great! We’ll get that one, then!” As usual, Leon covers buying it for you, and you fold it up and tuck it into your bag.

Getting a tent is a similar affair. You guide Leon to the store, and pick out a nice blue one. There aren’t many options for tent colours, so you pick more for the other features, like ease of setting up, than for style. Leon finds one that seems relatively easy to get set up, so hopefully you won’t struggle if you’re on your own with it.

“Now, as much as I’d love to spend more time with you, I really should get to the Stadium. I’m sure Rose isn’t going to be too thrilled at how late I am,” Leon groans, stepping away from you and your walker.

“Do you need some help getting there? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you had to meet with him so soon. Why did you take me shopping when you were already late?” You frown at him, and the way his face drops does nothing to help your worry.

“Well, I was already running late, so I figured a couple more hours wouldn’t hurt. I don’t know when I’ll be done with Rose, either, so I wanted to get you sorted before I left you. Stay and rest here a few days before you think about setting off though, yeah? I’ll get you a room at one of the inns here, I don’t know if I’ll see you again tonight so I’ll text you the details.” Leon is already wheeling you along in your walker, thankfully in the right way so you don’t have to correct him.

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” you reply, guiding him to his meeting.

On the way there, you run into a familiar face. It’s not exactly a pleasant sight to see, but you find yourselves running into Bede on your way to the Stadium. “Oh, it’s you,” the curly-haired man muses as he sees the two of you, running a hand through his hair. “Congrats on the upgrade,” He mocks, eyeing Leon with raised eyebrows.

“Oh, you two know each other?” Leon asks, looking between the two of you repeatedly.

“Yeah, we’ve battled a couple times,” you reply, frowning as you look at Bede. He’s part of the reason you and Hop fought again, and you haven’t forgot that.

“I’d hardly call those battles. More like me going easy on her to see what she’s capable of,” Bede taunts, only to find his voice overshadowed by Leon’s booming laugher. Bede’s eyes narrow, but he says nothing.

“You know you don’t have to go easy on her! She’s quite capable in battle, and so are her Pokémon!” Leon boasts once he recovers, and you blush at the praise.

“Yes, her Pokémon are something else, if only she’d command them. I’d be more inclined to go all out then.” Bede runs a hand through his curls, tossing his head lightly.

His words only made Leon laugh harder, crossing his arms. “Ha! Oh Bede, one day you’ll figure it out! I encourage you to go all out against her, I promise she can handle it!” Leon’s faith in you only makes you blush harder. Bede only grows more frustrated, however, silently seething.

“How do you two know each other?” You ask, your eyes darting between the two. Leon’s acting like he knows Bede, at least.

“He’s Rose’s adoptive son, so I see him often in my work,” Leon explains.

Bede sighs, letting his frustration out with it. “Yes, though speaking of that, shouldn’t you be on your way to meet my father?” Bede asks, raising an eyebrow at Leon again.

Leon nods. “I’m on the way there right now! I just got in to Hammerlocke!” He lies, though you know you’ll cover for him if need be.

“That explains why my father wasn’t able to contact you.” Bede rubs his chin and looks away briefly. He acts different around Leon, calling Rose his father rather than the Chairman, and using a softer tone of voice.

“You said some really cruel things to Hop, you know. How dare you?” A blush rises to your cheeks at bringing up this drama in front of Leon. Even then, you don’t back down. You want an explanation.

Bede balks, not expecting this. “They were things he needed to hear,” he retorts, his shoulders rising.

Leon steps back, searching both your faces. “Whoa, what happened?”

“Hop and Bede battled before Hop and I had that fight, and Bede said a bunch of mean things to Hop when he won. It caused Hop to get mad at me,” you explain, and Leon’s eyebrows furrow.

“Mean or not, they were true, and I stand by them.” Bede crosses his arms, getting defensive.

“I know Bede can be harsh at times, but Hop can take that kind of stuff. He’s a tough kid.” Leon sounds sure of this, but you aren’t. You saw how Hop reacted, and it hurts that Leon doesn’t seem to believe you.

“I have to meet with my father,” Bede begins uncomfortably. Leon twists his eyebrows in confusion, and it takes a moment for it to click with you.

He has to travel with you. You’re all heading to the same place. “Oh, I guess you can lead us there, then,” you try to reduce the awkwardness of the situation, and Leon laughs.

“That’s a great idea! Please lead the way, Bede!” Leon grins.

Bede sighs. “As you wish.” He doesn’t look happy about it, but he leads you off anyways. It’s easier than you trying to direct Leon with the GPS, anyways.

It’s awkward, but Leon and Bede mostly make small talk the whole way. It feels like Leon doesn’t want you to further bring up the drama between you two, so you keep quiet about it, only chiming in occasionally when you have something to add to the conversation.

Eventually, the lot of you reach the Stadium. Rose is out front with Oleana, talking to her. As the group of you comes up, Rose smiles. “Ah, how good it is to finally see our missing Champion! And Bede, thank you for bringing him back. And Kieran, I see Leon helped you through the Wild Area, did he?”

“I’ve been gathering the Wishing Stars as you asked, Mr. Chairman!” Bede stands ramrod straight, and it still feels odd to you how he calls his own father Mr. Chairman.

“Good work, Bede,” Oleana chimes in, “I’m glad you haven’t forgotten it was the Chairman who endorsed you.” Even with her monotonous voice, you feel a shiver run up your spine.

Leon shifts uncomfortably beside you, though Rose’s attention is on Bede right now, not the two of you. “If I collect enough Wishing Stars, that’ll help solve the problem that’s been bothering you. Right, Mr. Chairman?” Bede’s voice rises and nearly cracks, and for a moment you only hear a scared child, starving for even the slightest measure of attention and love.

“Oh, it’s not just for me. It’s for the future of the whole Galar region. And we’ll need more than Wishing Stars. We need a powerful Pokémon Trainer, too.” Rose looks directly at Leon, and you see Leon shiver under the Chairman’s gaze. “Someone like our Champion, here.”

Rose’s smile is thin, with an unspoken threat, and Leon looks even more uncomfortable. You remember that Leon said he would be in trouble for being late, so you surmise he’s worried about that. “With all due respect, sir,” Bede cuts in, “I was able to show Hop, one of the Champion-endorsed Trainers, just how outclassed he was.”

“Yet you haven’t beat me,” you can’t help but add, and Bede glares at you.

“Because I’ve been taking it easy on you because you’re weak and handicapped. I’d feel bad if I hurt you further.” His voice is laced with sarcasm as his hand runs through his hair again, causing Leon to shake his head.

“That’s enough, you two,” he states, and you quiet down.

Bede, however, does not. “I’m sure I’ll be able to defeat the Champion by the time the tournament rolls around. No, I _will_ defeat the Champion!” He sounds so confident, you almost believe him.

Leon just laughs awkwardly. “That’s the spirit!” He encourages.

“It takes healthy competition to keep the Gym Challenge energized!” Rose adds, smiling softly at his son.

“Challenger Bede, there is something I wish to discuss with you.” Oleana pipes up, drawing Bede’s attention to her. “Do you have a moment?” She doesn’t leave Bede time to say yes or no, turning and walking off. Bede obediently follows without a word.

Rose turns his attention back to you and Leon. “Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why I have Bede out searching for Wishing Stars. As you know, they’re the things that cause Pokémon to Dynamax. There’s more to them than just that, however. They hold far more energy than that. Come with me, please.” He gestures for the two of you to follow him. Leon gulps, but follows regardless. You follow after Leon, feeling apprehension settle in your stomach.

Rose leads you inside the Stadium. “I’ll give you a little lesson on how Galar gets its energy!” He calls over his shoulder as he walks. Leon seems to deflate with relief a little. Rose pulls out a tablet as he walks and messes with it.

“Hammerlocke’s Stadium doubles as an energy plant,” Rose announces as you all gather inside, his voice booming with that same charisma he uses for the media. “Have a look at my tablet, here.” Rose hands you the tablet he was messing with. On it is a picture with descriptions of how Galar gets its energy. Rose describes the process of it while you look at the picture, and from the corner of your eye you notice how Leon seems to get more uncomfortable again the longer the description goes on. “It provides the entire region with power,” is a line that sticks out to you, the rest going in one ear and out the other.

“Is all that true?” You ask Leon, and he nods.

“Yes, that’s right, that’s what the Power Plant is used for.” Leon’s voice sounds strained, and his shoulders are raised.

“Our lives and society require various types of energy sources, such as electricity, natural gas, and water,” Rose continues. “My associate groups aim to improve everyone’s lives by harnessing the power stored in Wishing Stars – if only the city would relinquish control of the Power Plant.” Rose tsks, frowning.

Rose’s phone chimes, and he pulls it out of his pocket. “My, I should be going. Leon, my boy, do come with me. We have a chat that we’re overdue for.” Rose’s tone carries a sinister meaning. Leon gulps. “Ah, right, Kieran, you should check out the Vault. It’s a lovely piece of Galar history. Tell Raihan I sent you, and he should let you in. He should still be there now. I hope you enjoy.” Rose gestures for you to be off, and you sense you’re not wanted there. Leon gives you one last scared look, and you almost don’t want to leave the Champion alone. Rose clears his throat impatiently, and you hurry on your way, thinking better than to cross this powerful man who even Leon fears.

You make your way over to the Vault. It’s on the west side of Hammerlocke, so it takes you a bit of a walk to get there. It gives you time to see the city, and settle your racing heart from that interaction with Rose. You really hope Leon is going to be alright.

The Vault looms over the west side of the city, so it’s easy to find. As you come up to it, Raihan is just leaving the Vault, locking up behind himself. “Um, excuse me,” you call out, hoping to get his attention.

Raihan looks up at you with a tilt of his head. “Can I help you? Oh, you’re that Challenger Leon endorsed, aren’t you? If you want to challenge the mighty Raihan, you’ve got to prove you’re up to it by getting seven badges first, kid.” His voice is filled with a fake sounding machoism, and it makes him sound bored with you already.

“Actually, I’m here to see the Vault. I’ve heard it’s a great place to learn about Galar’s history,” you explain to Raihan, hoping he’ll let you in.

“So you’re here to see Hammerlocke’s famous treasures, are you? Not that I blame you, we’ve got some cool stuff stored in here! Follow me, why don’t you.” It isn’t a request, Raihan opens the door and pushes you in before him. With his strength, you stumble a bit as you are greeted by an empty lobby. You let out a quiet hiss of pain, catching yourself on your walker. Raboot follows in after you. “So what makes you want to see the Vault?” Raihan asks, and there’s a hint of suspicion in his tone.

“Well, I’ve heard a lot about it from both Leon and Sonia at this point, and I know nothing about the history of Galar. I thought it would be cool to learn, and it might help me out too.” You’re not sure how much Raihan knows about your situation, if he knows at all, so it’s probably best to be vague about things for safety. Leon told you not to go telling people you were from a different world, after all.

“Getting a better understanding of Pokémon by studying history certainly isn’t a bad idea. I like your spirit, kid!” Raihan chuckles, leading you through the lobby and under a stone archway. “We’ll start with our new exhibit, then!” He cheers, before mumbling under his breath, “Since a certain someone ruined it last time.” You’re not sure what he means by that, but it doesn’t sound like it was for you, anyways.

“History has always fascinated me, what’s the new exhibit about?” You ask, following along at a near jog to keep up with Raihan’s long strides. He’s incredibly tall, something that’s only more pronounced by your short height. You’re barely to his waist, and he has to duck under every archway you pass through. You wonder how tall he is, he’s certainly the tallest person you’ve met here in Galar.

“The history of Dragon-type Pokémon!” Raihan announces with a sweep of his arms.

“Oh, useful! I just got an Axew recently!” She’s in her ball right now, only Raboot is out with you right now. In the hustle of the city, and with so many expensive items around you here in the Vault, you thought it best to keep Corvisquire and Axew in their balls.

“Really?” Raihan raises an eyebrow at that. “I’m assuming you got that okayed by someone.”

“Leon was with me,” you note, and Raihan nods.

“Then yeah, you’re fine. Go on, let’s see the little guy, then!” Raihan points at the Pokéballs on your belt, a smile growing on his face. So you let Axew out for Raihan to see. She’s momentarily confused about her surroundings, still getting used to the disorienting process of being brought into and out of her Pokéball. “What a cutie!” Raihan crouches down to be eye level with her, and she chirps as Raihan sticks out his hand, rubbing against it almost immediately. “Wow, friendly,” he comments, a soft look in his teal eyes as he gives her chin scritches.

“Leon said the same thing. She senses that you’re not going to hurt her, so she likes you.” You crouch down too, to be level with your Pokémon and Raihan.

Raihan gives you a blank look. “I could tell that. I’m the Dragon tamer, after all,” he deadpans, looking at you like you’re an idiot. You _feel_ like an idiot, of course Raihan would be able to communicate with Dragon-type Pokémon. “She’s just a baby, though. I’m surprised Leon let you keep her.”

“Her parents were killed by poachers,” you inform him quietly. Raihan goes quiet as well, his hand falling away from Axew.

“Fuck,” is all he says to that, looking away momentarily as a fist shakes near his side. He must feel as passionately about this as Leon does. He sits quietly with Axew for a while, just playing with her on the floor. She crawls between the two of you, looking to get as much attention out of this situation as she can. She knows you’re both grieving her parents, which is why she thinks you should pet her and play with her while you do. “Take good care of her, will ya? Give her a good life.” Raihan isn’t looking at you while he talks, but you nod anyways.

“I will,” you answer, and Raihan nods with a twist of his lips. He gets up after that, and offers a hand to you to help you up.

“Come on, let’s give you that tour, hey? You can keep Axew out, if you’d like.” It sounds more like he wants you to keep her out, so you leave her out of her ball. She follows along with Raboot behind you, on her best behaviour for you and Raihan. She likes Raihan, so she wants to impress him and show him just how good she is. You find it cute, because you find yourself wanting to impress this powerful trainer, too. He’s Leon’s top rival, you’re sure he could give you some great battle tips if you don’t fuck things up here.

Raihan guides you through each exhibit, a hand on your back as he leads you around. He talks at length about every painting, every statue, and every plaque about every odd bone or rock that tells the history of the land. Sometimes there are buttons to make the pieces more interactable, lighting things up or moving things around. Raihan encourages you to press every one.

He doesn’t miss a single piece of any exhibit, either. He even talks about how the pieces got to Hammerlocke, narrating interesting stories of artifacts going missing on their travels or ending up at the wrong location. “There are other museums and the like in Galar, after all. The Vault is more for the most important stuff. It’s why not just anyone can come in the Vault. You gotta get my permission before you can come here,” Raihan clarifies, standing in front of a meteorite shard in a glass container.

“Does that mean I have permission?” You ask with a bit of a laugh, and Raihan smiles.

“Well you do now! I’ll add your name to the list on the way out.” Raihan winks, and begins leading you to the next piece, hand still low on your back. You’d think with his height it would be easier for him to lead you by the upper back, yet his hand sits barely above your ass.

With the way he keeps winking at you, and the flirty lines he occasionally throws into conversation, you’re beginning to feel confused and dizzy. Is he hitting on you, or does he do this to everyone? Is he just messing with you? He seems really nice, and he’s definitely smart, so you were hoping to become friends with the man.

“Hammerlocke used to be the center of Galar, did you know?” Raihan asks as you stand in front of an exhibit that models what Galar might’ve once looked like 1000 years ago.

“No, but that makes a lot of sense.” You look down at the exhibit, seeing Hammerlocke is, in fact, in the center of Galar.

“Before Wedgehurst became part of Galar, Motostoke was the most south you could go. No one wanted to brave the large expanse of Wild Area south of Galar. It used to spread much further than it does now, too. See?” He points out where the Wild Area was on the miniature, then pulls out his phone and pulls up a map. “It’s a lot smaller now, since humans built up around it. Once people were able to safely cross that part of the Wild Area reliably, Wedgehurst became a part of Galar, too. The path people used to travel is now used as the train line. It made the most sense to put the tracks down the safest path, but that meant the loss of that foot path.”

Raihan rambles on and on about history, his knowledge limitless on these topics. He goes into so much more than the plaques do, really giving each piece the attention it deserves. He explains things in a way that makes sense to you, too, and it feels like he does these tours at least somewhat regularly.

“You take people through here very often?” You ask to clarify, and Raihan looks down at you.

“Hmm? No, actually. I don’t get the luxury of giving many tours,” Raihan answers with a sad tone.

“That’s unfortunate. You’re really good at them. I’ve managed to retain everything you’ve told me so far, which is pretty huge. You explain things really well.” You smile kindly at him, thankful for his patient tour through Galar’s unique history.

“Well, I get a lot of practice on Leon. That man retains nothing! It makes me so happy to hear someone actually listen to my lectures on this stuff _and_ retain it!” Raihan laughs, his eyes closing from the force of it.

“You and Leon good friends?” This is the first you’ve heard him mention Leon in any personal way, so now you’re curious. It would make a lot of sense for the two to be good friends.

“Good friends? Pfffft,” Raihan only laughs harder, doubling over. “Yeah, ok, I guess we sort of are. He’s never told you?” Raihan raises an eyebrow at you, but there’s this fear lingering in his eyes that makes you nervous.

You shake your head. Leon’s never told you what?

“Well, him and I are- you know what, it’s probably better to leave that alone today,” Raihan decides, stopping his explanation. You furrow your eyebrows, but your attempts to ask about it further are avoided.

You’re in a section on the history of battling when Raihan asks you, “What do you think of double battles?”

Being that they’re your favourite, you answer honestly. “They’re the most optimal way to battle, obviously.”

“That’s what I like to hear! You are correct, they are the best way to battle! My preferred method of battle, as well. What do you like most about them?” Raihan asks, a bright smile displayed across his face.

“The amount of strategy! There’s so many more options for things you can do in double battles, and so much more to think about. _And_ you can do them with someone else for a team battle which is also super fun! They’re so much more challenging, but that just makes it even more satisfying when you win!” You could gush about double battling and battling with Hop in particular for hours, probably.

Seems Raihan could do the same. “Absolutely! The strategizing is my favourite part, too. I specialize in double battles, and I’m practically unbeatable in them! The only one who beats me is Leon. One day, though, I’m going to kick his arse and become the true King of Galar!” He laughs, causing you to giggle as well.

“Is the Champion the person who is King?” You ask, and Raihan shakes his head.

“Nah, there are real Kings. Two of them, currently. Brothers who share the crown. They live in Wyndon Castle. The King nickname is just that, a nickname given to the current Champion. He’s not actually King. Bet that would go to his head _so_ fast,” Raihan explains with a chuckle, throwing one of his hands behind his head.

“Oh absolutely, his head is already so big, too.” You join in on the teasing of Leon, and Raihan laughs boisterously at this. You talk about Leon for a bit more as Raihan tours you around the rest of the battle history section.

“You ready to head upstairs?” He asks after he’s shown you everything on the ground level. It’s already been a couple hours, but you could listen to Raihan talk about history for a while longer. There was something about the man that came alive when talking about these old relics, he lit up and stood taller. This was obviously something he was very passionate about, so it’s nice to spend time with him while he’s in such a good mood.

“Sure!” You reply, letting him lead you along by the small of the back still. It felt nice, so it wasn’t as if you particularly minded.

Raihan takes your hand as you go up the narrow stairs, “To avoid falling,” he offers in explanation. You need it, as you can’t exactly use a walker up the stairs. Raihan ends up carrying you when you begin to struggle, easily picking you up in one arm and sitting you on his bicep and shoulder like you are a small child. If you lift your hands up from this height, you’ll be able to touch the high vaulted ceiling – Raihan is just that tall.

There’s a moment where you’re briefly outside, on the roof of part of the Vault. “This is my favourite room,” Raihan declares, setting you down at the top of all the stairs and handing you back your walker. He opens the door, and inside you’re greeted by a massive heptagonal room with four tapestries hanging from the walls.

“Whoa, what are these?” You ask, walking into the room on weak legs. You’ve been walking around for a while now, and your leg is really beginning to hurt. You want to learn more, however, so you tough it out. _After this one_ , you promise yourself and your worried Pokémon.

“These are the tapestries explaining Galar’s ancient history!” Raihan announces, gesturing grandly. “It goes a bit like this; once upon a time, there were two young men.” Raihan points to the first tapestry. “They watched a Wishing Star fall down to Galar. Going to check it out, they accidentally released an ancient evil upon the land.” Raihan gestures to the second tapestry. “Knowing they had to stop this evil, the young men found the sword and shield that ended the disaster.” He gestures to the third tapestry. “In reward for saving Galar, the men were crowned as kings. And that’s how Galar became a Monarchy,” Raihan finishes, pointing to the last tapestry but looking back at you.

“Wow, so these are the heroes who saved Galar?” You ask, stepping further into the room. Light is streaming in through windows high above the tapestries.

“That’s right. These are our ancient heroes. I suppose if we’ve got any modern hero, it’d have to be our Champion, Leon,” Raihan muses, putting a hand to his chin.

“He’s pretty incredible, that’s for sure,” you answer. There’s an odd look on Raihan’s face as he regards you for a moment.

“Yeah, he is. Listen up, Kieran. Your goal is to defeat that superstar, Leon. If Leon himself recognized your potential, then I have no doubt you’re going to become quite the Trainer. So go conquer the Gym Challenge and train yourself up. Your next goal is Stow-on-Side, correct?” You nod to Raihan’s question.

“As soon as I can figure out how to travel there. I can’t exactly go alone.” You pout, and Raihan chuckles a little.

“Well, you’re going to need to find some way there. If you want to challenge the great Raihan for yourself – and I definitely want to have a match with you – go collect those Gym Badges!” It almost feels like Raihan is taunting you.

“A match with me, huh?” Did Raihan want to battle every strong trainer who made it this far, or was it because you were endorsed by Leon?

“I’ve seen your matches so far, and Leon’s gushed enough about your little talent around me for me to know what you’re capable of. I want to see it! I think you have the skills to make it through the Gym Challenge, you just need to get your body through it. It won’t be easy, you’ll be fighting against a very ableist League the whole way,” Raihan warns, not unkindly, but you’ve already had enough experiences with the League to know how ableist it was.

“Yeah, I bet it’s only going to get harder, too. They’re going to expect more out of me at every Gym.” You frown, and Raihan nods.

“You’re home free if you make it past Gordie,” Raihan offers, and you give him a questioning look. “Piers and I aren’t the type who’ll try to punish you for your injury, and both our missions can be done with your walker,” he offers in explanation at your unasked question.

You light up at this news. “That’s great!”

“Yeah, don’t get too excited. Gordie’s mission is _hard_ , and it’ll be even harder for you. Gordie won’t punish you in battle, either, however. He’s a good guy. Might try to find a way to help you out with his mission.” So far, every Gym Leader but Nessa has been kind to you, but you don’t know how the two Gyms between now and Gordie’s will go.

“Any tips for the next Gym?” You ask, as Raihan turns to begin leading you back out of the room.

“Hmm… Bea is strong, but you’ve got a pretty physical team too, so you should be fine in the battle. Her Pokémon hit hard, and she has the stamina to chase you around the pitch. She doesn’t usually do that to Gym Challengers, though. Your best strategy with her team is to focus on dodging and wait for an opening to strike.” Raihan offers you some great advice, so you make sure to make a mental note of it all.

“What about her mission? What’s that like?” You ask as Raihan holds open the door for you.

Raihan laughs for a minute. “You know what? You’re gonna be totally fine for that one. You don’t even need your legs for it,” is the only explanation you get. It’s not exactly helpful, but it is welcome news.

Raihan leads you out of the Vault after that. “Would love to stay and chat more,” he hesitates, “but I’ve got work to attend. Meeting up with one of the other Gym Leaders for a strategy meeting.” His voice has an odd tone to it as he speaks, almost like he’s trying to cover something up. You have no idea what he could be trying to cover for, however.

“Ok, have fun, thank you very much for the tour.” You’re earnest in your thanks, as it was really informative and fun to spend the day in the Vault. You’re dead tired and in a ton of pain now, however.

The Dragon-type Leader leaves with a wave over his shoulder, heading down the road. You’re not sure what to do now that you’re alone, but resting sounds nice. Leon never did text you back about that hotel. When you text him, you don’t get a response, which causes you to worry. Leon did give you some money, so you decide to go get yourself a hotel room for the night. You’ll have to start making some plans on how to get to Stow-on-Side, so you look up the nearest hotel on your Rotom-phone and head there. You can plan once you’ve got a room, after all.

Finding a hotel and getting a room isn’t much trouble, and you sink onto the bed with a pained moan of relief. You end up spending most of the evening treating your injured leg instead of planning, however, doing your stretches and soaking in the tub. You order room service for you and your Pokémon to avoid walking more than you have to. The room is starting to get crowded with three Pokémon now, too. You’re thankful Axew actually _likes_ her ball, otherwise this could get out of hand by the time you have even more Pokémon.

You fall into another dreamless sleep, mind still focused on how to get to Stow-on-Side as you drift off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it far enough to tag the Raihan/Reader tag! I never thought I’d do it, so it wasn’t something I tagged from the beginning. YET HERE WE ARE. The plot thickens. Y’all thought he was going to hate us, didn’t you? Surprised? He actually likes us! He just dislikes how Leon doesn’t just fucking admit he has feelings for us. These idiots. MEN.
> 
> Listen guys poly relationships take a lot of work and communication and these men are doing it ALL WRONG DO NOT FOLLOW THEIR LEAD. They are all DISASTERS except Piers bless him.
> 
> Ok so the day before I wrote the Raihan Vault scene, I went to the Human History Museum here with some friends. This was just totally random, they invited me out to it, and I said yes not even thinking cuz I wanted out of the house. While I was in there, though, it dawned on me that I was stuck at the Vault scene. So then I started paying attention in a different way, wanting to get ideas for my story from it. I didn’t bring my notebook, though, so I wasn’t able to write anything down and promptly forgot a lot of the great ideas I had. It was actually a lot of fun, and really cool to see the human history specific to my area. I wish I could have spent more time there, but I am a disabled man and they took all the benches away to discourage sitting. My back was in so much pain about half way through, so we had to cut it kind of short. I’d love to go again, when covid is over and they have benches again.
> 
> I finished Chapter Thirty-Five today, too, so expect that to be posted as soon as all my betas go over it. I finished Interlude Seven like a week or so ago, so I’ve got two more chapters to post! PLEASE NOTE Interlude Seven is going to get HEAVY at the end. I mean changing the rating of the story heavy. It’s not necessary to read, however, so it’s entirely skipable if it’s something that triggers you. JUST WARNING YOU NOW.


	42. Chapter Thirty-Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta gang, Ember564, Audzilla28, and SeaSaltAndButtercups

You wake up still in a ton of pain. It’s unfortunate, but you pop some pain pills and hope they’ll help. You get ready for the day and check out, heading to a café for some breakfast. You wander around the city a bit after that, still trying to figure out how to get to Stow-on-Side. You text Leon at some point, as you hadn’t heard from him since he departed with Rose. He texts you back and offers to meet up with you.

You make it to the restaurant before he does. He had said lunch would be on him, but you’re not surprised he’s late. He’s likely lost. You play with your Pokémon while you wait for him to show up. Every time the bell above the door chimes, you look over to see if it’s Leon.

Which is why you’re surprised when a figure drops into the seat beside you. You jump and turn to the man, only to realize that under the pulled up hood of his black hoodie, you see a shock of unruly purple hair. “Leon? Everything ok?” You ask, leaning forward to peer past his hood.

Leon looks at you and shoots you a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just… Just tired,” he answers, rubbing his face with his hands. His voice is hoarse, and there are bags under his eyes.

“Didn’t sleep well?” You’re concerned now, though Leon tries to blow off your worries.

“Something like that. Listen, there’s something I need to talk to you about.” Leon changes the subject, much to your disproval.

“What about?” You prompt when he doesn’t immediately continue.

“I… I can’t let you do the Gym Challenge alone. In your current state, it’s too much of a risk for you to be travelling on your own. So, I’m afraid I can’t let you go to Stow-on-Side unless you’re travelling with someone.” Leon won’t meet your eyes as he tells you this.

It breaks your heart. “What? But… Then what do I do?”

“I don’t have the time right now, but if you’re willing to wait around with me a while, I might be able to get time off in the future. Your other option is going with another Gym Challenger. I know there are a few that have made it this far. Bede, for example. I’m sure I could talk him into it, if you’re ok with that,” Leon offers, and you balk. Go with Bede? You’d rather drown.

“No way, not with Bede. He’s so mean, he ripped my walker out of my hands when he lost!” You recount to Leon the tale of your last battle with Bede.

“Really? That little runt did that? Huh, he’s usually so calm. Guess he doesn’t take losing well! No to Bede, then. Hmm, there are other Challengers, though! Try hitting up the Stadium, Raihan lets Challengers train there. There might be someone there willing to go to Stow-on-Side with you!” Leon’s really trying to encourage you not to wait for him, and you suspect that’s because it’ll be hard for him to get the time off.

“Alright, I’ll give that a try. Why can’t I go on my own, though?” You’re frustrated that suddenly the rules have changed for you.

“Too much of a risk of you getting hurt. Isn’t that obvious?” Leon asks with a quirk of his eyebrow. You huff, knowing he’s right.

You’re quiet for a bit, pondering what to say next. “I thought you were going to get me a hotel room last night,” is what you decide on bringing up.

Leon looks momentarily surprised, then sad. “I completely forgot! I’m so sorry, I was- I was busy, I… Were you ok?” Worry is now plastered across Leon’s face, and you nod to him.

“Yes, I got a hotel room with some of the money you gave me,” you inform him, and he sighs with relief.

“Good, here, I’ll replace the funds for that. That’s supposed to be money for food.” Leon digs into his wallet and pulls out some more cash, handing it to you. You tuck it into your bag with a quiet ‘thank you’.

“You seemed pretty worried about going with Rose yesterday. Did everything turn out ok?” You try to bring it up again, but Leon once again brushes you off.

“Oh, yeah, I suppose so. Oh, I ran into Hop yesterday.” Once again, Leon changes the subject. You decide to drop it for now. “Did something happen to him? He was acting really odd.”

“What do you mean?” You lean forward at this, as anything about Hop immediately grabs your attention.

“Well, he took one look at me and was like, ‘I’m so sorry, Lee!’ It might be the first time I’ve heard him apologize for anything, and I’ve no idea what brought it on! Was it what happened with Bede?” Leon’s voice carries concern, and a sigh escapes you as you confirm Leon’s suspicions.

“Yeah. I mentioned Bede said some harsh stuff. You told me Hop could take it, but what I was trying to say was that this was way harsher than the stuff Hop could take. It cut him right to the core. Exposed his biggest fears. That he has nothing of his own, that he’s only living in your shadow.” You watch Leon collapse in on himself as you explain.

“And _your_ shadow. There are whispers going around about you, now, and your win streak. You’re catching a lot of attention.” You had no idea, it’s not like you pay attention to the media here or anything.

“I’m overshadowing him, too.” Dread fills your voice as the realization hits.

Leon nods. “Hop’s taken a hard loss. When you lose, you feel down in the dumps, but even more so when your opponent hurts your self-confidence on top of your pride.” His voice is taking on that lecture tone that he uses whenever he’s explaining something to you.

“Not that you’d know, you’ve never lost!” You tease with a small laugh.

Leon shifts, looking uncomfortable. “But there’s nowhere left to go but back up!” There’s a strange crack to his voice, making him sound as uncomfortable as he looks. “You’ve got to think on why it was you lost, though. You know, that little brother of mine… I think he might yet become a surprisingly great Trainer!” Leon’s tone evens out by the end.

What was that about? He gave you no room to question it, however, pushing on about Hop. “Of course he will. He works hard, and he has a talent for it, even if he doesn’t see it himself. He just needs to stop getting so flustered in battle. He _knows_ his stuff, yet whenever he battles, he seems to forget it, and makes rookie mistakes that I _know_ he can do better than!” You answer, offended by the notion that Leon ever doubted his brother would make a great Trainer.

Leon closes his eyes as he nods his head once. “You’re right, and that will come with time. He needs to find himself, and his own style, and then the confidence in himself will come back.” Leon’s tone carries an assurance you don’t quite feel, but you hope he’s right.

Lunch resumes as normal for a while after that, you and Leon ordering food and chatting idly while you wait. “Oh, that reminds me,” you pipe in as you’re waiting for your food. “When Rose was talking about the Power Plant yesterday, you made it sound like he wasn’t actually telling the truth about it. What’s going on with that?”

Leon chokes on his water momentarily, coughing a bit. “You want to know about that drama? Ok, oh boy. Well, providing the region with power is what it does right now, but Rose has some plan to get even _more_ energy out of the Wishing Stars. Except, Raihan and the city of Hammerlocke don’t want to sell their resource to Rose. Rose already owns practically all of Galar, the Power Plant is one of the last few things that still belongs to the people of Galar. And that’s just because Raihan’s stood so firm about even, despite Rose’s abuse.” What Leon is describing sounds a lot like your world, so you can understand what it would mean for Rose to buy out a public resource like that.

“He wants to profit off it. Charge people for it,” you conclude, and Leon’s somber expression tells you you’ve got it right.

“Yes, and more. He’s running some secret experiment in the basement, too. Even I don’t know what he’s doing down there. Owning the Power Plant would let him, er, do that faster, I think? I really need to start paying more attention when Rose talks about these things…” Leon sighs, shaking his head slowly. He runs his hands over his face, almost knocking his hood off. You reach out and grab it before it falls, pulling it back over his face. “Thanks,” he whispers, turning to look at you.

There’s a raw, aching look in Leon’s eyes, like he’s been hurt. Again, you wonder what Rose did to him yesterday, but it’s clear from his earlier reactions you’re not finding out anytime soon. You reach out and hold his face, thumbs tracing along his jaw and through his short beard. His lips quirk upwards a tiny degree at your actions, his eyes going soft. His arms wrap around your waist, and he leans forward.

For a moment, you think he’s going to kiss you. You close your eyes, preparing for it. So when you feel his forehead against your own, you’re confused. You open your eyes to see Leon’s closed, and he sighs deeply. You keep your hands on his face, gently comforting him while he holds you. After a moment, he pulls away, clearing his throat.

“Thank you.” His words are soft, barely audible. You let go of his face, but his arms remain around your waist.

“Are you ok?” You try one last time.

“No. But I will be. Thank you for being here.” Leon’s tone has a finality to it that lets you know this is as much as you’re going to hear about it.

After lunch, Leon has to leave, so you’re on your own. You think about heading to the Stadium to check out the Gym Challengers, but your phone goes off on the way over. Checking it, you find a text from Sonia.

**Sonia:** (Hey, haven’t heard from you in a while! How are you doing?)

(Made it to Hammerlocke! No idea how to get to Stow-on-Side, now. Leon told me I’m not allowed to go alone.) **:You**

**Sonia:** (Oh no, are you and Hop still fighting?)

(I haven’t heard from him at all.) **:You**

**Sonia:** (The nerve of that boy. Well, wanna hang out with me?)

(Sure! Sounds better than what I was going to do.) **:You**

**Sonia:** (Great! I’m at the Vault. My research is frustrating me ugh come let me bounce ideas off you.)

(Ok, I’ll be there soon!) **:You**

Helping Sonia with her research sounds better than trying to introduce yourself to the other Gym Challengers and hoping you’ll get along well enough with one that they’ll want to travel with you. Yeah, that didn’t particularly sound fun at all, but you would have to do it eventually.

It’s not hard to find the Vault - it stands tall amongst the buildings surrounding it. GPS makes it even easier to find the part of the city it’s in, and the tall spires of the Vault lead you the rest of the way. You’re let inside easily, as Raihan did put your name on the list. You once again recall Corvisquire and Axew while inside the Vault, just as a precaution. The stuff here is priceless, after all, and you don’t want to take any chances. Raboot stays close to you, overly cautious of his actions.

Sonia texts you that she’s upstairs, and you look at the stairs with a groan. You take a deep breath and resign yourself to trying. You go slow, and have to use the rail a ton for help, but after some struggling you do eventually make it to the top. Raboot struggles almost as much as you with the walker, on his own carrying it for once.

At the top, you shove open the heavy doors, and are greeted by Sonia splayed across the floor, surrounded by various textbooks, notebooks, and writing utensils. She looks up at you as you come in. “About time!” She huffs as she sits up.

“I had to climb stairs,” you inform, and Sonia’s expression turns sour.

“Oh, I completely forgot, you should have texted me when you were here! I would have come down to help,” Sonia wails, biting the inside of her lip with a guilty expression.

“I’m here now, what can I help you with?” You ask, wheeling over next to her and lowering yourself beside her, careful to avoid her papers. She shuffles a pile out of the way for you.

“These.” Sonia gestures to the four tapestries with a bored voice. “Brilliant, aren’t they? It’s great that there are still treasured tapestries that can tell us of Galar’s ancient history. A lot of the books out there are written based on these, which is why I came here to work. Tell me, based on all I’ve told you, does anything stand out to you about these?” Sonia asks, tapping a pen against her chin as she leans back against one arm.

“Well, the second one could be that Darkest Day disaster,” you offer, and Sonia nods.

“That’s what I was thinking, too. It just seems…too coincidental otherwise, no?” Sonia tilts her head as she thinks. “But anyways, is there anything else that sticks out to you?” She prompts further, looking at you with cool green eyes.

“Hmm…” This one takes some more thinking. What else had Sonia told you? “Well, you’ve always mentioned hero _singular_ , but here there’s clearly two men. Are there actually two heroes, or are the legends unrelated after all?” You ask, and Sonia groans.

“ _This_ is my exact problem! It’s what keeps the link from fully forming! All documentation about the Darkest Day only refer to one hero, yet as you said, there are _two_ here. Which means this could be completely unrelated. Or it could not, it’s been so many years, details could be wrong. _Ugh_ , this is why this work is so frustrating!” Sonia throws her head back dramatically as she drags out her words with a moan.

“If this does show the Darkest Day, does that mean a Wishing Star caused it?” You ask her, pointing to the first tapestry.

“That’s…actually a good point. We still don’t know _what_ caused the Darkest Day, for that matter. It could have been a Wishing Star,” Sonia muses, agreeing with you. She picks up one of the notebooks and begins scribbling in it. “And whatever happened to the sword and shield that drove off the disaster?” She speaks as she writes, then sets the notebook back to the side.

“Could the sword and shield be representative of something else?” You ask, looking at the third tapestry.

“They could, there’s some speculation what they could be, but nothing that sounds very plausible to me. So I’m looking for my own answers. Which is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I’m treading ground no one’s tread before, linking together mysteries that no one thought linked. Every time I get something, it feels great! But then it opens up twenty more questions, and I only end up feeling like I’ve move _backwards_ instead. I… I’m so tired, and so scared. What if I mess up? What if I get it all wrong? What if I’m wasting my time?” Sonia sniffles softly, then wipes her nose on her sleeve.

“That sounds incredibly hard, Sonia.” You reach out and rub her back, and she leans against you.

“Thank you. It is. I knew this wouldn’t be easy, getting into it, but I didn’t think it’d be this _hard_ , either! I just want to curl up and cry until this is all over, but I know I can’t do that. I’m so afraid of letting Gran down,” Sonia admits quietly, a single sob escaping her.

“I’m here for you,” you assure, slowly running your hand up and down her back. She drops her head onto your shoulder.

“Thanks. Us girls gotta stick together, after all!” Sonia’s voice wobbles slightly, and you can hear the tears she chokes back.

“Um.” You’re getting pretty close with Sonia, you feel like you can trust her with this. “Technically speaking, I’m not _really_ a girl.”

Sonia looks up at you, quirking her eyebrows in confusion. “Huh?”

“Well, you see, you know that other world I come from?” You begin, and Sonia nods. “Well, back there, I have… Well I look different. I have a different body. I’m… I’m a guy.”

“A…guy?” Sonia parrots, and you take a deep breath before confirming.

“Yeah. A guy. I was pretty shocked to wake up here in a girl’s body, that was, uh, quite the surprise. It’s taken some getting used to,” you explain, and Sonia purses her lips.

“Huh. I wouldn’t have expected that, but now some things make sense. Is there, like, anything you can do about that?” She asks, sounding genuinely concerned.

“Well, I don’t know what options there are here, but there are some options for doing that stuff back where I come from. Not that I would want to go through the effort of trying to change back into a guy here, that’s…a lot of work… I’ve gotten used to this body, so I’d rather just keep living in it now. I’m way more attractive than I ever was back where I’m from, so I really can’t complain!” You give Sonia a smile to try to ease her worries, and watch as a small smile of her own spreads across her face.

“As long as you’re happy,” she reminds, worry still in her clear green eyes.

“I am. I’m happy here.” It’s true, even if you’re fighting with your best friend and you’re horribly injured, you’re still happy. You’ve got some great friends, and your Pokémon partners are incredible. You can’t imagine ever wanting to go back to your old life.

You and Sonia sit quietly together for a while after that, just looking at the tapestries. Sonia occasionally scribbles something down in her notebook, but you’re comfy there with her head against your shoulder. She speaks up after a while, “Thanks for trusting me with that. And thanks for letting me bounce ideas off you, and for giving me the next place to go with my research. I think I’ve got some new theories now. Now it’s back to the library, time to hit the books once more.” Sonia sits up and stretches, before turning to gather all her scattered supplies.

“Thank you for inviting me up here, and for being such a good friend. I really appreciate you, Sonia.” You give Sonia a soft smile, which she returns. She reaches over and squeezes your arm before going back to shoving all her belonging messily into her bag.

“You don’t have to thank me for that!” She replies bashfully. Once she’s all packed up, she helps you back down to the lobby of the Vault. You hug goodbye, and she leaves for the library. Now alone once more, you sigh as you realize there’s no further putting off the Stadium. Time to go meet some new friends.

On your way there, however, you run into a familiar face. One that makes your heart speed up and hurt all at once. “Hoppy.” It leaves you without it really meaning to.

Hop is walking down the street perpendicular to yours, and you see him in the crossing. He’s got his hands in his pockets, looking down at the ground in front of him. His head whips up at your call though, a wounded look in his eyes. “Kieran?” His voice rises, eyes meeting yours.

“Hey,” you try weakly, unsure how this is going to go.

Hop’s eyes look so sad. He turns to face you fully, taking a step towards you. “Mate, I-” he cuts himself off, turning his head away for a moment as he recollects himself. “I’m sorry I ditched you. That was cruel, to just leave you behind on your own. I’m really sorry,” Hop chokes out, wrapping his arms around himself.

“I’m sorry too, Hoppy. I’m never going to lie to you again, I promise.” You take a step closer to him, and that causes the dam to break. Hop runs over to you and nearly tackles you with the force of his hug, knocking your walker over in the process. You wrap your arms back around him just as strong, a single sob escaping you. It felt so nice to be with your best friend once more.

“I’ve missed you,” he admits softly into the hug. “It was real lonely without you.”

“Then what are you doing travelling alone, silly? Why don’t we travel together again?” Hop freezes momentarily at that, and you feel him stiffen up.

“Um, maybe.” His words break your heart all over again, as you just want to travel with him again. You miss it so much, and it sounds like he misses it, too.

“Then why not?” You lean back to look him in the eyes as you ask.

“Because… It’s complicated, ok? I… I can’t take care of you like I want to, and you get hurt…” He clarifies with a mumbled voice, eyes downcast.

You sigh with frustration at his attempts to avoid you and your eye contact. “Hoppy, I’m sorry I made you feel like it was your fault. It’s not your job to take care of me and protect me, ok? I appreciate the effort, but don’t hold yourself to unrealistic standards like that. I lied to you and manipulated you to continue my Gym Challenge, and I won’t anymore. But you don’t have to worry about keeping me safe from things. I just want to travel with my best friend again, that’s all.”

There are tears in Hop’s eyes as he finally looks up at you. “Ok, mate,” he whispers softly, and you reach up to wipe the tears from his eyes. He doesn’t stop you, instead his arms around you tighten. “I’ll stick with you this time, then. Want to get ready to head to Stow-on-Side together now? It’s a little late to head out tonight, so we can spend the evening getting ready, and then hit the hay.”

“That sounds great!” You let Hop push you along in your walker, and you can tell he’s grateful he doesn’t have to carry you when you’re tired anymore.

“Was nice of Lee to get you this. Makes it way easier to get you around now!” Are his exact words, but you hear that gratitude in his voice.

You get dinner together, feeding your big Pokémon group while you feed yourselves. Hop’s got six Pokémon now, and he introduces you to his new Cramorant and Silicobra. You introduce your new Axew as well, and the nine Pokémon all play while you and Hop dish out food for everyone. It’s quite the job, and you realize it’s only going to get harder as you both add more Pokémon to your teams.

You two buy supplies for your trip, and Hop invites you back to his hotel room at the end of it to pack everything up and get ready. You’re really hoping he’ll let you fall asleep here, like he has in the past. Packing up is quick, and Hop even lets you shower in his bathroom when you tell him you only got a hotel room for yourself for the one night.

“Wanna just stay here, then? It’ll be cheaper,” Hop asks as you come out of the bathroom, idly scrolling on his phone.

You try to keep the mad smile of your face, but you can’t help but beam at the news. “Yes! Absolutely!” You throw yourself onto the bed, and Hop grins back at you. He wraps his arms around you and pulls you into him.

The hotel room is _very_ crowded with nine Pokémon, so you have to get some of them to sleep in their balls. You manage to get Axew into her ball, and Hop gets everyone but Thwackey and Wooloo into balls. At least all the Pokémon sleep on the floor in the nest Hop makes from the extra blanket in the closet. Hop pulls you close to him as the two of you get comfortable on the bed together, grinning at each other like idiots the whole while.

“I missed this,” you assent softly, and Hop runs a hand up and down your side.

“I did too,” he admits just as quietly, and you both giggle and chat for a while, enjoying the closeness and intimacy the darkness of the room brings.

You don’t fail to miss the flutter of Hop’s lips against your forehead when he thinks you’re asleep. You have to work really hard to keep steady control of your breathing, so as not to let Hop know you’re actually awake.

Then you remember Leon, and you feel a bit guilty. Shouldn’t you choose one? But you like both for different reasons, it’s hard to justify choosing one over the other. And now you have to worry about Raihan, too. What are you going to do?

You fall asleep wrapped up in Hop’s arms, dreaming of what it would be like to just lean forward and kiss him. Your dreams are warped by Leon and Raihan’s faces as you dwell on what you’re going to do about them.

Morning comes all too soon, Hop gently shaking you awake as he climbs out of bed. “Come on, mate, let’s get a move on so we can make good progress on getting to Stow-on-Side today!” Hop calls excitedly, hopping off the bed as he begins to bustle around the room.

You both get ready, collect all your things, and check out of the hotel together. You’re just excited to be doing things with Hop once more. It’s not too long of a walk to leave the city, though you are surprised when you find desert-like terrain on the other side of the city gates.

You aren’t walking for long before the group of you, Hop, and your Pokémon comes up on a large gathering of Team Yell members. You count six of them, and you watch them set up what appears to be a barricade of some kind.

“Oi, Team Yell, what are you doing?” Hop calls out, walking ahead of you to go get their attention.

“What does it look like we’re doin’? Blockin’ the competition from getting’ ahead of our favourite Challenger! You can cross when we’re done ‘ere!” The grunt waves you off like this is totally normal and you’ll just follow his orders.

“I think not! We need to get through here!” Hop shouts back, aggravated.

“Tough luck, there’s a Silicobra nest nearby, and we’re tryin’ ta protect it, see.” Another grunt steps forward, getting in Hop’s way. You walk up beside Hop, your Pokémon raring to fight.

“Yeah! With all your stompin’ around and yellin’, Silicobra’s sure ta wake up!” The first grunt argues, and Hop rolls his eyes.

“Right,” he drawls, crossing his arms.

“But you’re the ones yelling and stomping,” you point out, gaining their attention.

“Another one?! No matter, we ain’t lettin’ either of ya cross!” The first grunt maintains, and Hop groans loudly in frustration.

“What do you say, mate? What do you want to do?” Hop turns to you, a tension visible in his amber eyes.

“Let’s battle them together!” You exclaim excitedly, happy for a chance to fight side by side with your best friend again.

Hop looks taken aback, like he wasn’t expecting you to say that. “You… Yeah, that’s the spirit! As if I could say no to a double battle with my best mate!” Hop’s words are one thing, but the worried expression he wears tells another story.

“You two are too noisy, we’ve got no choice but ta send ya packin’!” The second grunt announces, and both he and the first grunt toss out Pokémon. A Stunky and a Liepard appear in front of the men, and you and Hop each toss out Pokémon of your own. Hop throws out Thwackey, and you send Raboot from behind you.

The battle already isn’t off to a great start when you look over to Hop to try to communicate with him to switch out his Thwackey, but he won’t look over to you. Raboot gets a good hit in, and Thwackey goes in to attack the other Pokémon. Normally during these battles, you can trade looks with Hop and know what he’s about to do. Today, he doesn’t look back at you, and you’re not sure what he’s planning.

Things start going sideways when Hop calls on Thwackey to attack the Liepard you’re focusing on. “Hop, take the Stunky! Raboot has a super effective move against Liepard!” You yell to him when Thwackey ends up getting in the way of Raboot and getting hit with Raboot’s attack. Normally the two of you are more in sync than this, and normally Thwackey is more receptive of your orders in battle. You try to warn the Pokémon, but he ignores you to focus on Hop’s orders.

Hop glares at you. “I was trying to help!” He shoots back angrily, and you’re shocked by his harsh tone.

“Not getting’ on so well?” One of the grunts taunts, and you turn your attention back to the battle at hand.

“Shove it!” Hop calls, turning his glare to the grunt. Thwackey takes a harsh hit from the Stunky, going down. You think you hear him curse under his breath. He recalls his Pokémon and looks at you. “If you’d just helped me focus on the Stunky, this wouldn’t have happened!” Hop turns to you and yells, and you’re taken aback.

“I didn’t realize you wanted the help,” you reply quietly. Normally, you each took one Pokémon and covered each other’s backs, but Hop wasn’t really communicating with you in this battle.

“Of _course_ I wanted the help, mate! Stunky is a Poison type! You should have taken him!” Hop argues, grabbing another Pokéball off his belt and sending out Toxel.

“That’s why I thought you should have recalled Thwackey and used someone else.” You purse your lips as you explain it to Hop, but he scoffs at you.

“Real nice of you to tell me about that.” Hop rolls his eyes and speaks sarcastically, causing you to groan.

“Hop-” your attention is pulled back to the battle when the two grunts use your argument to get a good hit in on Raboot. “Nevermind, now’s not the time for this. You take Stunky, and I’ll take Liepard, alright?” You ask, and Hop sighs before nodding once.

The Liepard goes down with another Double Kick after that, and the grunt who owns her recalls her, sending out a Linoone. You get Raboot to focus on this new Pokémon, as it’s another Dark-type. You tell this to Hop, just to make sure he’s following along, since he won’t look at you, but Hop only rolls his eyes. “Yeah mate, I figured that! I’m not daft!” Hop rebukes, and you bite your lip.

These grunts are tough, and Raboot goes down when the Stunky poisons him. All the dodging in the world won’t save him from that, and he collapses in the middle of the battle. You have to recall him to get him out of the way, but you drop his Pokéball beside you to let him out next to you. You’ll heal him after the battle.

Corvisquire swoops in without you having to tell him to. He dives at Stunky with Retaliate, taking the Poison-type out once and for all. “Hey! I had that!” Hop cries, and you have to bite your lip to keep from screaming.

Hop _knows_ your strategy. He’s seen you fight so many times now. He _knows_ how this goes. He also knows you have next to no control over Corvisquire doing that; he just gets that mad from seeing Raboot faint. “Hop, that’s what he does, you _know_ that!” You throw back as the grunt recalls his Pokémon.

There’s just the Linoone left, and Hop sends Toxel in after it with an Electric move. Normally, you’d be able to connect with Toxel and keep her and Corvisquire out of each other’s way, but Toxel is also ignoring you today. You wonder what’s going on, why Hop’s Pokémon are ignoring you. You don’t have long to ponder it, however, as Corvisquire’s faster than Toxel, but Toxel started moving first, so they both reach the Linoone at the same time.

Which is to say, Corvisquire is on the receiving end of a Nuzzle, and tumbles to the ground, fully paralyzed. You grit your teeth, just as Hop turns to you to yell at you. “What the heck, Kieran? Stay out of my way!”

“I’m _trying_ , but your Pokémon aren’t _listening_!” You scold, and the grunts laugh at your fight.

“Can’t even battle right, look at ‘em!” You hear one shout, and they launch into more laughter.

“Get the downed one!” The grunt who owns the Linoone calls, and you quickly recall Corvisquire before he can get hit. Axew is the last one left, and you haven’t had the chance to battle with her. You don’t know what moves she knows yet.

_Know any Dragon-type moves?_ You ask her, and she nods. _Use that._ It’s going to be a strong attack, and you don’t have the time to figure out which of her other moves might be super effective against the Linoone. Better just to use the one you know will do some damage. She launches in quickly, and swipes at the Linoone with her claws, knocking the Pokémon back. The Linoone recovers, but barely, staggering to her feet with wobbly steps. _Let’s call that one Dragon Claw._

“Belch!” Hop calls to Toxel, and she scampers in and pukes up some acid onto the staggering Linoone. She tries to dodge, but doesn’t have a lot of space to go, cornered by two Pokémon like she is. She gets hit, and goes down. The grunt recalls her, mumbling about a cheap shot as he does.

The grunts take off after that, thoroughly defeated. “We did it,” you muse, bending down and digging out potions to heal your injured Pokémon with.

Hop shakes his head. “Barely! That was right abysmal! Ugh, it’s so hard to know what you’re doing when you don’t talk to your Pokémon like normal people do!”

You flinch at Hop’s words. “But… You know how I battle… You’ve seen it dozens of times – you know my strategies! Normally we can just _look_ at each other and-” Hop cuts you off.

“That was when I could _trust_ you! I can’t anymore!” He snaps, and tears well up in your eyes.

“I thought we were moving past that…” you mumble, hugging your arms around yourself.

“Yeah, well I…” Hop takes a deep breath and sighs. “I dunno, Kieran… I screw up everything I do! I can’t get Bede’s words out of my head! I feel like I’m dragging Lee’s good name through the mud, like I hear whispers everywhere I go now. I can’t stop thinking about it! It’s driving me insane! I think I’m gonna need some time alone to deal with this.”

“Hoppy,” you cry softly, reaching out for him. He only shakes his head, stepping back from you. “But… What about travelling together?” You ask, looking up at him with tears in your eyes.

He shakes his head. “You’re gonna have to find someone else, mate. I can’t. I’m sorry.” With that, Hop tears off at high speed, running much faster than you could ever go now. You’ll never be able to catch him.

“Hop!” You shout, but he doesn’t turn back around. A single sob wracks you, then another, and soon you’re sobbing uncontrollably on the side of the road. Your Pokémon surround you, trying to comfort you, offering to go chase him down for you, but you hug them close. What would they do if they caught up to Hop, anyway? He didn’t want to see you right now.

You’re not sure how much time passes while you sob there, but eventually a voice calls your attention. “Child,” croaks the older female voice. You look up, and it takes you a moment to recognize the lady through your teary eyes. You hadn’t seen her since Opening Ceremonies, after all. “Whatever happened?” Opal asks, bending down slightly.

“Ung,” you choke, swallowing down your tears to get words out. “My best friend, Hop… He d-ditched me here…” Another sob wracks you, and you have to fight with yourself to keep from breaking down again.

“Ah,” she lilts, a smile crawling across her face. “I see, troubles of the heart.” Her accuracy hurts.

“I- uh-” you stutter, a hiccup escaping you.

“You’re in no condition to get to Stow-on-Side on your own. That’s where you’re heading next, no, Challenger?” She guesses, holding out her hand to help you to her feet. Despite her frail appearance, her body houses surprising strength, and she pulls you up with what looks like ease. You grab onto your walker with a mumbled thanks.

“That’s right, I was going there next,” you validate her guess, and she turns and places a hand on your back.

“I’ll escort you back to Hammerlocke, child. Come with me.” She pats your back and then removes her hand, walking along the path back to Hammerlocke. When you don’t immediately begin to follow, she turns her head over her shoulder and gestures for you to follow her, and impatient look on her face. Guessing that following isn’t an option, you push off with your walker, your Pokémon following at your heels.

Opal keeps a slow pace, and walks using her umbrella as a cane. Her shuffle is as slow as your limp is, so you don’t feel bad about slowing her down. She makes small talk with you on the way back, which helps to keep your mind off Hop a bit. Mostly, she asks about your Pokémon.

“The Trainers who can keep a variety of Pokémon always interest me the most. Most of us out here get one, maybe two kinds of Pokémon we can really communicate well with. Trainers like you, and Leon, who can have many and communicate well with all of them impress me the most. I can’t wait to see what you do when you go all out.” Opal watches you with a knowing look.

“Not to ruin the illusion, or anything, but uh, I don’t communicate with my Pokémon like Leon does. Or like anyone really does.” You try to explain, but she raises a hand to stop you.

“I’m well aware what you can do. Leon wouldn’t have endorsed you without good reason. He saw something in you. I’m looking forward to seeing that in battle myself. So you better make it all the way to Ballonlea.” She makes it sound like it isn’t an option; that you simply have to make it there.

“But… I’m not allowed to travel on my own, so I don’t know how I’m going to get there…” You sigh, swallowing thickly to try to keep the sobs from coming back. A single tear escapes your eye.

“If you can’t find anyone by the time I’m done in Hammerlocke, I’ll escort you, dearie.” Opal’s kind offer causes you to whip your head around.

“Really?” You ask, hope dancing in your eyes.

“Mhmm, I’m personally invested in this, now. Here, give me your phone number. I’ll text you when I’m done in Hammerlocke.” You exchange numbers with her, a little surprised someone her age is so tech savvy. “Oh, don’t look so surprised. As a Gym Leader, I have to keep up with all the toys you young ones come up with. I’m on PokéSnap, you know,” She chortles at your shocked expression. “Almost as many followers as that Raihan!” The brag makes you laugh, though now you’re curious what she posts. You’ll have to give her a follow later.

Eventually, you make it back to Hammerlocke. She leaves you to go do her shopping, and you mull around the gates to Hammerlocke, unsure where else to go and too sore to wander around. You watch your Pokémon play, and use the time to go over what moves Axew knows, your Pokémon testing out their moves on each other. Raboot and Corvisquire are more than happy to get the extra training in. Time passes, and eventually someone you recognize comes down the lane.

Marnie.

You hadn’t even thought about her.

She’s travelling with a tall man with ridiculous black and white hair that poofs out in every direction. It looks artfully messy, however, and you bet he spends way too much time making it look that way. You’re not sure who he is, however. He’s slouched over and walks with a slow shuffle, which Marnie calmly matches pace with. She’s talking with him, though from this distance you can’t tell what about.

You wave at her when she looks in your direction. Her eyes light up when she sees you, and she gives a small wave back. Morpeko jumps off her shoulder and runs over to your Pokémon, happy to see his friends again. Marnie sighs at his actions, but makes no move to stop him.

“Sorry ‘bout ‘im, really likes your group,” Marnie excuses, coming up near you and crouching down beside her Morpeko.

“It’s no problem, mine like him just as much.” You reach over and pet the small Pokémon, causing him to trill happily.

“Not gonna introduce me?” The man asks as he shuffles up beside you. He throws himself down onto the bench you’re sitting on, sitting a short distance away.

“Yeah, yeah. This is my Bro.” Marnie gives as way of introduction. She doesn’t move to introduce you, however.

“The name’s Piers.” He offers his hand to you, and you shake it. You notice his hand trembles, and there isn’t much force behind his handshake. You give your own name back, and he waves you off with a smirk.

“I’m well aware. I’m the one who gotcha your fake,” Piers replies, mischief in his eyes.

“My fake?” You’re not sure what he’s talking about.

“’Course the goody goody didn’t tell ya! Ha, why’m I not surprised?” Piers mocks, and you tilt your head in confusion. “Your ID. It’s fake. Never wondered how you got a Unova ID?” You had in the past, but it’s been so long since you thought about it that you’d forgotten.

“Why do I have a fake ID? Why didn’t Leon get me a real one?” Piers shrugs at your question.

“Dunno. Never asked. You’d hafta yourself,” he answers, shifting uncomfortably on the bench. You get the feeling he _does_ know, just doesn’t want to tell you. “Anyway, love ta stay ‘n’ chat ‘n’ all, but I’m kinda busy.”

“Thought ya were gonna take me to Stow-on-Side?” Marnie turns to her brother and asks accusingly.

“Well, that was before ya found Kieran here all on ‘er own. Now ya should go with ‘er instead.” Piers looks unfazed by the scowl Marnie fixes on him. “Don’t gimme that look, told ya I was only goin’ if ya couldn’t find no one else.”

“I’d really appreciate it, Marnie!” You really hope she’ll go with you, it would be nice to travel with a friend. You’ll have to text Opal that you found someone to travel with.

Marnie shrugs. “Guess so. Could be more fun than this bag o’ laughs.” Marnie kicks lightly at her brother’s shin, and he winces in pain.

“Fuck, ya, go on. Have fun. You ‘n’ I have a lot ta talk about one day, Kieran. Take care o’ Marn for me.” Piers gives you a rather serious look, and you nod.

“I’ll do my best.” Piers seems satisfied with that, and Marnie rolls her eyes.

“I can take care o’ myself, bro,” she rebukes, to which Piers only chuckles.

“Sure ya can,” he mocks, reaching over and messing with her hair. Marnie steps back and fixes her bangs with a huff.

“Get out o’ here, then!” She swats at the hand that reaches at her when he stands, and the two siblings swat at each other back and forth for a bit before Piers seems to give up and walks off. He shoots a hand over his shoulder in a small wave as way of goodbye, and Marnie turns back to you. “Ready to go?”

You nod, standing and grabbing your walker. The two of you head out the gates together, chatting excitedly about the Challenge. You’re filled with renewed hope about completing the Gym Challenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hop is going through a lot the poor baby but he really needs to stop taking out his issues on Kieran. At least Marnie is here to save the day. And now we FINALLY meet Piers! For a bit. He’s all cryptic and shit and lies right to our face but hey, here’s here! Also Opal is a queen.
> 
> I’m going through my old fanfiction.net works, and I’ve posted one that I’m still proud of years later. For a dead fandom, rip. Really makes me appreciate you guys and the more active Pokémon community. Thank you for all the love and support I get from you all!


	43. Interlude Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my betas, Ember564, Audzilla28, and SeaSaltAndButtercups. I love you guys a lot! 
> 
> CONTENT WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A RAPE SCENE. It is completely skippable, and denoted with another content warning just before it. It is the final segment of this chapter. Please skip it if it's triggering to you.

**Iris:** (So what do you think of Leon?)

(Of Leon? Well he’s great, he’s really kind and takes good care of me, why?) : **You**

 **Iris:** (No no, that’s not what I mean!)

(He’s easy to spend time with and he’s horrible at directions?) : **You**

 **Iris:** (I mean how do you FEEL about him?)

 **Iris:** (Cuz, come on, how can you NOT feel something for him? You get to LIVE with him!)

(Why do you want to know?) : **You**

 **Iris:** (Oh come on, it won’t get back to him! Don’t worry! You’re not alone in your feelings, you know!)

(What do you mean?) : **You**

 **Iris:** (You know the worst part about being related to Leon?)

 **Iris:** (There’s no way I can ever date him!)

 **Iris:** (Do you know how disappointed I was to learn that? One day I’m just like “Mom have you seen the hot Champion from Galar?)

 **Iris:** (And she was like “Oh yeah, that’s your cousin!”)

 **Iris:** (Like um??? Excuse me??? I’m RELATED???)

 **Iris:** (How unfair! I mean also cool cuz I get to talk to him all the time but also super not fair!)

 **Iris:** (Like can you believe it?! Imagine)

 **Iris:** (You’re me, and the world has just found out about Galar, after years of speculating what lies beyond the weather wall.)

 **Iris:** (And the hottest man that’s the face of Galar? The one that you, as the current Champion of Unova, totally want to, uh, you know what I’m not going to finish that.)

 **Iris:** (Point is, there was a solid week that I did not know we were related that I was totally flirting with him.)

 **Iris:** (Then my mom had to go and tell me about her brother who tried to pass the weather wall and how oh yep he must have been successful cuz we’re definitely related!)

 **Iris:** (Talk about awkward, thank Arceus Leon is as dense as a Slowpoke!)

 **Iris:** (As cool as it was to learn I have not one, but two hot cousins, that’s totally outweighed by how disappointed I am to be related to them!)

 **Iris:** (Leon seems pretty into you, if he ever kisses you I better get every detail! You owe me!)

(I don’t think he’s into me that way, he said he viewed me as family.) : **You**

 **Iris:** (R I P That sucks, good luck getting out of the friendzone. I’ll be rooting for you!)

 **Iris:** (How’s little Hopkins doing, anyways?)

(We’re fighting) : **You**

 **Iris:** (Oh no! I’m sorry, I didn’t know Hop could have it in him to be mad at anyone!)

(Don’t ever lie to him, he hates that.) : **You**

 **Iris:** (That just seems like common sense to me, but clearly it wasn’t to you lol)

 **Iris:** (Sorry that was insensitive of me.)

 **Iris:** (Wish I had advice for you, but I don’t know him as well as Leon, I’m not sure what you could do to make it up to him aside from apologize and give it time!)

(Yep, that’s what I’m trying to do.) : **You**

 **Iris:** (Oh there’s this dessert my mom makes that I think he likes. She sent the recipe to their mom, I think it’s Hop’s favorite. Maybe you can try making it for him? I’ll send you the recipe!)

 **Iris:** **Attachment: 1 file**

 **Iris:** (I don’t know if it’ll work, but it’s worth a shot!)

(Thank you, Iris. I appreciate it.) : **You**

 **Iris:** (Don’t mention it! Let me know how it goes! And let me know if Leon kisses you!)

_Today_

(So Leon kissed me.) : **You**

 **Iris:** (WHAAAAT?! YOU BETTER SHARE EVERY DETAIL RIGHT NOW!!!)

\----------------------------------------------------------

There’s a knock at Leon’s hotel room door. He already knows who it’s going to be, so he gets up off the bed to go let his little brother in. “You’re early,” he comments as he opens the door.

“I… I know…” Hop mumbles, shifting his weight from foot to foot as he stares at the floor. He’s hugging himself, and he looks so small and vulnerable in that moment that Leon can’t help but wrap the boy up in a hug, pulling him into the room.

“Hop,” Leon soothes, running fingers through Hop’s hair. With that, the dam breaks, and Hop begins sobbing.

“I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry!” He cries, and Leon only continues to comfort him. Leon carefully leads them to the bed, sitting down and pulling his little brother with him. Hop curls up against him like he used to when he was a child, and it breaks Leon’s heart to see him so broken up.

“I can’t do anything right…” Hop whispers, and Leon rubs his back. He pulls Hop back with him as he lays back against the pillows, getting into a more comfortable position for both of them. Hop curls into his side and continues wailing, so Leon wraps his arms around him.

He lets Hop stay there for a while, waiting for him to calm down before prompting him to talk. When he’s down to just hiccups, Leon speaks up, “Hop, talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“Aren’t you still mad at me?” He whines, and Leon frowns.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to comfort you when you’re feeling miserable already. Talk to me. What’s with all the apologies?” Leon needs to know he’s actually learned his lesson, that he understands what he did wrong and _why_ he needs to be sorry.

“I… I messed everything up! I hurt Kieran, I’m dragging your name through the mud, I-” Leon cuts Hop off before he can continue that line of thinking.

“Whoa whoa whoa, dragging my name through the mud? How on earth are you doing that?” This has Leon concerned, who planted such doubts in his brother’s mind? Was it Bede? Was this what Kieran was talking about earlier?

“I keep losing! I…I’m weak, so people are going to think you’re weak, too,” Hop answers, causing Leon to shake his head.

“No one is going to think that! And even if they did, who cares? You’re not making me look bad, Hop. You are your own Trainer, fighting for your own merit. Ignore those who tell you otherwise, alright? Don’t get so caught up in my reputation, when you’re just starting to build your own. Focus on you. I can handle myself, alright?” Leon grabs Hop’s face to make him look at him, but Hop still won’t meet his eyes.

Hop shakes his head weakly in Leon’s hold. “But no matter what I do, people _are_ comparing us, Lee! So if my reputation is rubbish, it’s going to tarnish your reputation as the undefeated Champion!”

Leon sighs, unsure how to convince his brother this doesn’t matter. “Hop. Little brother. Whether it affects my reputation or not, I can handle it-”

“But _I_ can’t, Lee!” Hop cuts in, and begins to sob once more. Leon throws his head back and groans, but goes back to comforting his little brother.

“At least you’ve come to your senses about Kieran,” Leon mulls over aloud when Hop’s sobbing begins to die down again.

“A-about that, Lee,” Hop begins hesitantly, and Leon waits for him to continue. “I…I’m not comfortable being responsible for her anymore. It’s too hard. I can’t do it. She keeps getting hurt with me, and I don’t know how to protect her. I can’t stand feeling responsible for it- for her.”

Leon has to take a moment to think about that. He can’t exactly _force_ Hop to care for her, after all, and it _was_ a lot to ask of the boy to be her caretaker in the first place. “I… Alright Hop, I understand.” But now he doesn’t know what to _do_ with the girl. “If you’re not with her, she’s going to keep trying to go alone, and she’ll likely end up getting hurt because of that. Are you comfortable with that?” He didn’t like guilting his little brother like this, but he wasn’t sure how else to get him to continue to care for the girl who desperately wanted to complete the Gym Challenge.

“Can’t you force her to not go unless she’s with someone?” Hop pleads, desperation clear in his eyes.

“Well, technically yes-” Hop cuts him off.

“Then do that! Please! And then find someone else to go with her because I-” Hop’s voice chokes up suddenly, and he hiccups loudly. “I can’t do it…”

“I’ll ban her from doing it alone, fine. I’ll…” Leon sighs heavily, “I guess I’ll begin looking into possible ways to get her to Stow-on-Side without breaking the rules.”

“Thank you,” Hop mumbles, tucking his face back into Leon’s chest. Leon wraps his arms a little tighter around his younger brother, squeezing him as he feels Hop sigh.

“It _was_ a lot to ask of you to begin with. I hope this doesn’t mean you’re not going to be her friend anymore!” Leon frets, growing concerned for the two.

“No! I still want to be her friend! I just… I don’t want to be with her all the time, and have to worry about taking care of her. I want to actually be able to be her friend, not her caretaker,” Hop justifies, and Leon nods as he begins to understand where Hop is coming from.

“Ok, I’m relieved to hear that. Did you want to stay here tonight?” He knows Hop’s only going to see it as concern, but really, after the horrible day that Leon has had, he really needs it. He hopes Hop will stay.

Leon’s relief only grows when he feels Hop nod against him. A smile crawls across his face as he looks down at his little brother, snuggled into his arms. “This feels like when we were kids,” Hop voices the words Leon thinks, and Leon hums in approval.

“It really does,” he agrees, closing his eyes and breathing deeply, just enjoying this peaceful moment.

\----------------------------------------------------------

After camping out for what feels like years, but is more only days, Hop is bored out of his mind. He wishes he didn’t do this alone now, as even with his Pokémon around to train with, it’s unbelievably lonely out here. Hop gets the occasional fear, as he’s setting up his tent some nights, that if he were to die out here, it would be days before anyone knew.

He gulps as he hears a rustling in the bushes near his camp. Sensing his tense nature, his Pokémon ready themselves in front of him as the rustling grows louder. He instructs two of his Pokémon back, and then waits for the wild Pokémon to appear.

Out pops a Cramorant, and it squawks as it prepares for battle. Hop sends in Toxel and Wooloo, instructing Thwackey to stay back. The Cramorant doesn’t back down, despite quickly getting weak from the opposing Pokémon’s attacks. All the Pokémon Hop’s fought so far have run off when things start to get close, or Hop has run because he is clearly outmatched. This one sticking around reminds him of his older brother’s lesson.

Pulling out an empty Pokéball, Hop tosses it with perfect aim at the wild Cramorant. The ball wiggles about for a while before the light clicks green, and Hop jumps up in celebration. Toxel runs over and fetches the ball, bringing it back to Hop. “Good girl,” he coos, scratching her head as he takes it from her.

He quickly tosses it out, causing the Cramorant to appear before him. “Hello! Nice to meet you! Welcome to my team! Let me get you sorted, mate.” Hop pulls a potion out of his bag, and sprays it on the timid Cramorant. When she realizes Hop means no further harm, she settles. “That’s it.” Hop grins at her, and she fluffs her wings and caws.

Hop eventually gets the message that she’s hungry, and she smelled the food, so he dishes her up some of the leftovers. As the stars come out, Hop feels a little safer having one new addition to his team. He spends the night getting to know her more before recalling her, as well as all his Pokémon, for bed.

The more days pass, and the more training he does, the more Hop misses his best friend. He knows he’s dawdling at this point, but he’s still trying to figure out a way to face her. He feels lonely, but instead of that hastening his travels, it causes him to sleep in late and pack it in early each day. He travels little, feeling more depressed as time goes on.

Bede’s words circle in his mind, and Hop begins to feel like his continued losses against the other Gym Challengers is dragging Leon’s good name through the mud. It’s also making Hop feel like _he’s_ rubbish himself. He can’t battle right – he keeps making amateur mistakes in battles. He’s aware of this, yet it keeps happening. On top of that, he can’t even keep one person safe. It feels like it shouldn’t be as hard as it is, both battling and looking after his best friend, yet he continually botches both.

It’s near Hammerlocke that Hop finds his sixth teammate. A Silicobra sticks around on his journey, and though exhausted, Hop still nails his aim on her. His newest teammate. She bonds quickly with his other Pokémon, similarly to Cramorant, and Hop’s relieved he doesn’t have to step in between too many squabbles. It’s more challenging to look after so many, Hop finds, but it comes naturally after a while. He can understand what they’re saying pretty well; it may not be Kieran level understanding, but it was much better than the average person’s level.

Hop can see the gates in the distance. He hasn’t been sleeping well out here anyways, so he throws caution to the wind and decides that, with six teammates, a full moon, and clear weather, he should be safe enough to make it to Hammerlocke. He still takes his time, making sure to avoid Pokémon and move quietly. He moves alone, recalling all his teammates in favour of slow stealth. It works, but the sun is barely peaking over the horizon when Hop makes it to the gates.

By the time he gets to Hammerlocke, he’s no closer to understanding how to deal with all this than he was before. He shows his Challenger Ring to the League Staff on guard, and gets a pass into the city. Even the stairs feel too much, and he wants nothing more than to crash into a real bed and have a real bath.

So he turns on his phone to call his Mum for the money to get a hotel room for the night. Except when he turns it on, he’s greeted to two missed calls from his older brother. Worried about why Lee might have called him, Hop gulps as he calls back his brother.

The call goes better than he expects, but he still feels too nervous asking his brother for a favour, so he calls his Mum to get some money. She sends him enough to stay for several days, after he explains the situation to her. “Take some time to think about things before continuing your journey,” she orders, and Hop tiredly acquiesces to her.

He decides he wants to talk to both his brother and his best friend in person. He gets a room for several days, unsure when his brother will be back. He texts a single “Can we talk when you get to Hammerlocke?” to his brother, and while he has to wait for a response, he goes to training in the Wild Area or the Hammerlocke Stadium.

Raihan is sympathetic to him, and offers free access to his Stadium to train in. It’s also convenient that Raihan is his older brother’s boyfriend, so Raihan has always been kind, though teasing, to him.

It’s several days before Hop gets a single text from his brother. It gives him an address to a hotel, a room number, and a time. Hop goes out and paces the city, waiting for the time. He arrives early, though Leon still opens the door to him.

“You’re early,” comes Leon’s grumbled greeting. He looks like hell.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“How’d _you_ make friends durin’ the Gym Challenge, bro?” Marnie turns to her brother and asks while setting up a cookfire.

“A, one friend. B, cuz he wouldn’t leave me the fuck alone.” Piers responds, strumming on his guitar.

“You’re no help,” Marnie whines, throwing a stick rather harshly on top of the pile.

“Told ya that before.” Piers shrugs, looking up from his guitar to focus on Marnie.

“Ya told me I’d make friends durin’ the Gym Challenge is what ya told me,” Marnie corrects, pouting at her brother now that she has his attention.

“Yup, and I didn’t say nothin’ ‘bout bein’ any help, did I?” Marnie glares at his response, but doesn’t argue further. “’Sides, didn’t ya say ya made a friend? There ya go, ya made a friend. Told ya so.”

“Ya said friend ** _s_** , plural,” Marnie pouts, and Piers tsks at the girl.

“And you’re only ‘bout half way done, no? Got lots o’ time t’ make another friend,” he taunts, sing-songing it poorly to his strumming.

Marnie groans. “You’re the worst.”

Piers looks back down at his guitar to play. “ _You_ invited me, remember? Ya coulda invited your new friend.” Marnie looks over at Piers contemplatively.

“I dunno,” Marnie frets, causing Piers to sigh.

“I woulda been fine if ya invited her with us, ya know? Wouldn’t mind gettin’ t’ know the kid. We’d have a lot t’ talk about.” Piers goes back to idly strumming his guitar to some random melody, and Marnie thinks for a moment.

“Oh,” she says finally, causing Piers to look back at her again.

“Ya should invite her along with ya in the future. It’s how Raihan ‘n’ I got so close,” Piers explains, “It’s the one bit o’ advice I got for ya, Marn. Spend time with ‘er ‘n’ shit.”

Marnie nods. “Ok.”

\----------------------------------------------------------

The first person Leon calls when Rose gives him back his phone is Raihan. After stuff like this happens, it’s always Raihan he calls.

“Raihan,” he croaks when the line picks up.

“You have a lot of nerve, calling me,” Raihan’s voice warns over the line.

“Please, Rose punished-” Leon tries.

Raihan cuts him off, “Don’t you pull that right now! You’ve been off, frolicking with Kieran, after I _expressly told you not to_! I was already mad about you ditching me, then you take her off to Wyndon to _live with you_ , and _then_ you take her into the Wild Area, _all against my wishes_!” Raihan’s yell doesn’t come across as intimidating over the phone as it would be in person, so Leon is glad Raihan doesn’t know where he is.

“Please, Raihan. I need you right now. Please,” he begs, a single sob escaping him.

“I can’t keep coming second place to her, Leon. Hell, she shouldn’t be on the ranking boards! Why do I feel like I’m competing for your attention?” Raihan demands, and Leon doesn’t have the emotional capacity right now to deal with this, so he begins to sob.

“Raihan, you are my number one. You’re the first one I called!” Leon chokes out between sobs.

“Because you’re hurt and you want me to comfort you! Fuck, Leon, how could you use that against me? You think Rose didn’t fuck with me today?! Didn’t bother to even think of that, did you?! I just went through hell, fighting to keep the Power Plant out of Rose’s hands, but yeah go off about how bad you have it! I haven’t heard from you in _weeks_ , and this is the first I hear from you? I’m bloody livid, Leon! You can’t keep doing this to me! I can’t just be there for you in the bad times! I get, what, one good time with you a month? Maybe? I barely see you as is, and when you have time, you spend it on _her_ rather than me!” Raihan rants, and Leon quietly sobs through it.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll make more time for you. I’m here, I’m here in Hammerlocke! Please, I-” Raihan cuts him off.

“No, you’re not coming over here. You’re not doing this to me. I’m done, Leon.” Raihan’s voice is icy cold, and Leon feels his heart shatter with it.

“No, no, please no, Raihan-” Leon begs, desperate for his boyfriend not to leave him, not right now.

“I can’t anymore, Leon. I just can’t. I need a break from you, at the very least. When you get your priorities sorted, we can try again.” Raihan’s tone has a note of finality to it.

“No! Raihan no!” Leon pleads, but he hears the line go dead. Grief overcomes him, and he feels oddly numb for a moment. He collects himself and his things, checking the rest of the messages on his phone at last. He sees a text from Hop, and in that moment Leon wants nothing more than to see Hop, someone who can comfort him. Hop has no idea what’s going on, so he can’t comfort him like Raihan can, but Hop can be there for him regardless.

Deciding where to meet Hop is a tough challenge, because he has to decide where to go. He gets outside of Rose’s home first, before calling Charizard out. “Take us to the nearest hotel, my friend,” he instructs with a weary voice. Charizard snarls, understanding to an extent what happens to him in Rose’s house, but Leon placates his friend as always. “Please, I need to go,” he cries out softly, and Charizard lets him onto his back.

Finding a hotel, Leon gets a room then texts his brother the address, and a time a few hours away. Leon would need some time to recover from this before seeing Hop.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“I can’t anymore, Leon. I just can’t. I need a break from you, at the very least. When you get your priorities sorted, we can try again.” Raihan pulls the phone away from his ear as he hears Leon beg, ending the call.

“Ouch, harsh,” Piers asserts from under him, and Raihan sighs as he puts his phone to the side. He all at once collapses down on Piers, crying. Piers runs his fingers through Raihan’s dreadlocks, cradling him gently.

“I haven’t heard from him since we fought, Piers,” Raihan chokes out.

“I know. He’s been bein’ Rose’s li’l lap dog to get time off for Kieran. I’m well aware,” Piers states dryly, despite his comforting gestures.

“It hurts, Piers,” Raihan whispers.

“I know. But it was the right thing t’ do.” Piers massages Raihan’s scalp gently with his fingers to comfort him. “You deserve t’ be treated better ‘n that.”

“Make me feel better?” Raihan asks, looking at Piers.

“Sure, love.” Piers kisses the man, and Raihan eagerly kisses back. Piers winds his arms around Raihan, pulling them closer to each other. In turn, Raihan shifts himself so he’s holding himself up better, lowering himself closer to Piers without placing too much weight on the man.

Piers grinds his hips up against Raihan’s and Raihan lets out a breathy moan at the action. Piers uses the action to slip his tongue inside Raihan’s mouth, and they begin to tangle their tongues together. What remains of clothes come off between open mouth kisses, as the men run hands along each other’s bodies and roll around on the bed.

Finally naked and on top of Piers, Raihan smirks down at his partner. He always leaves Piers’ jewelry on, especially for reasons like this. He tucks a finger through the hoop on Piers’ necklace, pulling slightly. The breathy moan that leaves Piers’ mouth goes straight to Raihan’s cock.

Raihan reaches around Piers towards the nightstand, digging the lube out of one of the drawers. “Ready, my love?” Raihan asks, quirking an eyebrow at Piers. The smaller man nods enthusiastically.

“’Course,” he responds softly, and Raihan gives one more tug on Piers’ necklace for good measure. He slides down Piers’ body, kissing and sucking marks into Piers’ skin as he goes. Once down to where he wants to be, he kisses around Piers’ cock, circling one finger around his entrance as Raihan pops open the lube with the other hand.

As he coats his fingers in lube, Raihan begins kissing up Piers’ cock, finally taking it into his mouth just as he plunges a finger into Piers. The pale man moans and arches his back, causing Raihan to groan around the cock in his mouth. He can take it, but it still catches him off guard. Raihan bobs his head up and down Piers’ cock as he shifts fingers in and out of Piers’ twitching hole.

Licking and sucking at Piers’ cock, the Dragon Trainer inserts another finger into his partner. “Fuck, Rai, hurry it up!” Piers begs, and Raihan obliges, popping off the cock in his mouth and focusing on stretching Piers. “’m ready,” Piers practically begs as Raihan crooks his fingers _just_ right and sends Piers arching off the bed again.

Raihan puts a healthy amount of lube on his cock, well aware of the size difference between the two men. Piers has such tiny hips, such a frail looking exterior, and Raihan is well-endowed, to say the least. He’s been with a lot of men, and none have had a cock bigger than his.

Lining up with Piers’ entrance, he grabs bony hips and pushes into the man. Piers cries out in pain, and Raihan leans forward to kiss him through it. He enters Piers slowly, mindful of Piers’ reactions. He waits when Piers tenses up, kissing him slowly until he relaxes once more.

“You’re doing so well, my love,” Raihan coos, basking in the feeling of Piers’ tight ass. Piers only nods, unable to get words out in that moment. Raihan begins gently rocking in and out, going slightly deeper with each gentle thrust. Piers groans each time, taking it as he squeezes Raihan’s hand in time with his thrusting.

With time, Piers begins to match Raihan’s thrusts, and Raihan bottoms out inside Piers at long last. He begins to get a bit rougher with his tiny partner, pulling out farther and slamming in harder with each thrust. Piers moans louder each time, crying out with pleasure as Raihan begins to work himself into a pace they’re more used to.

Neither of the men last long. Raihan cums first, spilling inside Piers as the man matches his thrusts. As Raihan stutters out, riding out his orgasm, he grips Piers’ cock and begins roughly jacking him off. Piers doesn’t last much longer after that, clenching around Raihan’s cock as he squirts cum between their bodies. The smaller man shudders through his orgasm, and continues shaking afterwards.

Panting, the men shift into a more comfortable position, Raihan sliding out of Piers’ hole with a slick sound. Raihan grabs tissues and begins to clean the two of them up, Piers lying there blissed out.

“Ya emotionally checked out, like, last week,” Piers suddenly informs him, heading back to the topic of his breakup.

“I… Yeah, that sounds right. I still love him, just…” Raihan trails off, and Piers waits a while before he realizes Raihan isn’t going to continue.

“Ya love a version o’ ‘im that no longer exists.” Piers is right, so all Raihan can do is nod. “Whether that person comes back or not, only time’ll tell.”

“Thanks for being here for me, my love.” Raihan leans over and kisses Piers on the lips briefly. When Piers places his hands on Raihan’s chest, Raihan notices the tremors. “You’re still shaking?”

“That’s kind of how Parkinson’s works, ya know,” Piers replies darkly, and Raihan grimaces.

“Right, sorry, this is all still new to me.” Raihan wraps the man up and holds him regardless.

“Me too,” Piers whispers, tucking himself into Raihan’s embrace.

\----------------------------------------------------------

“So does that mean Leon is the father of my son?” The girl in the hospital bed asks.

The man groans, throwing his head back. “ _No_ , the timeline nowhere near matches up for that. Can you _please_ wait for me to get there?” He begs, and the girl pouts.

“That’s not fair.” The man only rolls his eyes at her.

“As I was saying, you-” a nurse suddenly opens the door, carrying a phone to her chest, cutting the man off from continuing.

“Victor, sir, it’s the Chairman. He says he knows you’re here and demands to speak with you. I’m sorry, I-” The nurse’s voice wavers nervously, and Victor sighs.

“No, you did your best, I understand. Hand the phone here, I’ll go speak with him.” Victor takes the phone from the nurse, gesturing for her to leave. He leaves shortly after, and stands outside the room. He closes the door so the girl can’t overhear him, but she can still see him through the window on the door. “Hello?” Victor calls as he brings the phone to his ear.

“Where the _fuck_ have you been?! You can’t just disappear for _days_ without word to anyone! Do you know how _worried_ we’ve all been?!” Leon roars, and Victor grimaces, pulling the phone away from his ear just to lessen the volume of Leon’s lecture.

“But I _told_ you it was an emergency!” Victor argues back.

“ _It’s been nine days, Kieran! You can’t do this to us!_ ” Leon’s voice has a tinge of desperation in it, and Victor feels momentarily bad.

“I, uh, it’s Victor, remember?” He corrects, and Leon loudly snarls.

“Right now, you are _Kieran_ , and you just _ran off for nine days with no explanation!_ Into the Wild Area! None of us knew where you went! We thought you had died again-” Leon chokes up for a moment, and Victor feels momentarily bad.

“Well, I’m not dead, and I’m still dealing with this emergency, so can I get back to that?” He begs, already feeling sick with himself for what he’s putting his friends through again.

But, are they really _his_ friends? He’s not so sure anymore.

“ _Abso-fucking-lutely not!_ I am coming _over_ there and you _better_ have a _damn good explanation_ as to why you did this!” Leon bellows over the line, and Victor winces.

“Please, Leon. Please don’t. Not yet. Please, please let me finish dealing with this first.” Victor winces at the sound of his choked up voice.

Leon is quiet for a moment. “Give me a good reason.”

“Well… This is really complicated, but I’m dealing with some memory issues, is the easiest way I can explain it.” Victor scratches his head, shifting back and forth as he feels guilty for keeping things from Leon.

“Memory issues. And you need us all to stay away because of that,” Leon deadpans, and Victor sighs loudly.

“ _Yes_ , please! If you don’t, you could mess everything up! It’s really important this isn’t interrupted!” He pleads, his voice cracking with emotion.

Victor hears Leon sigh over the line. He’s quiet for a moment after that. “Alright. This sounds important to you. But the explanation at the end of this better justify all this. That shit explanation is not going to fly long for me. I’m going to tell everyone you’re alright. And I’m going to call you again. I don’t care what you say, I need to at least hear your voice and confirm you’re not dead once a day,” Leon demands, causing Victor to purse his lips.

“Deal, fine, I understand. I’m sorry, for what it’s worth. I didn’t realize this would… Well, I didn’t realize it would end up this damn complicated,” Victor complains, throwing his head back against the glass of the door.

“Again, explanation better be worth it,” is Leon’s curt response, and Victor sighs.

He’d keep talking to Leon – he’s missed the sound of his voice, after all – but it’s then _another_ nurse charges down the hall towards him.

“Victor, sir! The Pokémon- that girl’s Pokémon are rampaging again! Please help!” The nurse yells, and Victor groans.

“Lee, babe, I’d love to chat more, but the emergency just evolved and I’m, like, actually needed. Can you call me back in a few hours?” Victor doesn’t wait for a reply before hanging up on Leon, shoving the phone at the nurse and charging off towards where they keep the Pokémon.

Inside, he finds the Dragapult, Mimikyu, and Mr. Rime that belong to the girl storming about as the Center staff desperately try to get them under control. Victor sends out his Urshifu, helping calm the rampaging Pokémon quickly with his bond and his strong partner.

_That’s it, Draggy, come here my old friend,_ Victor communicates to the Dragapult, and the Pokémon stops his battling to come over and check on Victor. He pats the Pokémon on the head, and the Dragon curls around the man. The Mimikyu and Mr. Rime are knocked out relatively quickly with Urshifu’s help, and Dragapult obeys his old partner calmly.

_I told you all to please behave, you can see your friends soon. I promise. We’re caring for them, and I’m trying to give her memories back to her._ Victor explains to the Pokémon as they’re revived from their fainted state. _Especially you, Draggy. You’re supposed to know better than this. I know it’s been a while, my friend, but we’ve been through too much together to be written off so easily. Please listen to me._

Dragapult nods, promising to follow orders better in the future. Victor sighs, returning the Pokémon to their balls, and handing them back to the staff. Leaving the room, Victor leans heavily against the wall for a moment, recollecting himself before he goes back to the girl to tell her more about her past.

Opening the door to her room, he plunks himself back in the comfy chair. “Now, where were we?”

\----------------------------------------------------------

**(TRIGGER WARNING: RAPE)**

“Why did you not come here immediately when I summoned you?” Rose demands once they’re alone, stalking close to Leon.

“I didn’t know I was supposed to, I haven’t turned on my phone,” Leon confesses, nervously backing away from the approaching man.

“Let me see your phone, then,” Rose demands, holding out his hand.

Leon feels his heart lurch, but he isn’t lying, he really hasn’t turned on his phone yet. He hands it over to Rose, and Rose inspects it. Turning it on to many unread notifications, he tucks it into his pocket.

“I see,” Rose narrows his eyes at Leon.

“You still don’t believe me?” Leon chokes, feeling fear begin to build in his chest.

“Oh, I believe you. But you’re still late. So you must be punished. Follow me.” Rose turns, and Leon knows better than to do anything but follow his orders if he doesn’t want things to hurt _more_ later. So Leon follows after Rose, climbing into the Corviknight Taxi after him.

Leon already feels uncomfortable when Rose’s hand starts sliding up his leg. _It’s already starting here?_ He thinks, shivering.

“Get down on your knees,” Rose demands. Tears build in Leon’s eyes before he even begins. He gets down on his knees like asked, knowing better than to fight back against this. He undoes Rose’s belt and unzips his pants, pulling out his half hard cock.

Leon obediently sticks it in his mouth, sucking and licking as it grows to full size, before bobbing his head up and down it. He swallows around the head, taking it deeper down his throat, causing Rose to moan softly.

“What a good, obedient lad you are, my Champion,” Rose praises, petting Leon’s hair. It only makes Leon want to gag. He doesn’t, though, taking the cock down deeper.

He continues this until Rose cums deep down his throat. He’s forced to swallow it, coughing and sputtering as Rose pulls his cock out of Leon’s mouth. Rose tucks himself back in his pants as Leon wipes his mouth on the back of his arm.

“If you think being obedient is going to save you in your punishment… Well, yes, I suppose it will work. I’m feeling generous today,” Rose placates like he’s truly offering something good.

Leon only nods, sitting back up beside Rose. They arrive at Rose’s Hammerlocke flat, just in time as Leon straightens himself out. Rose tips the driver before leading Leon inside. Leon already knows his fate – he’s dreading it – but he knows there’s no escape.

Rose leads him to a room he uses exclusively for this – well, as far as Leon is aware, exclusively. “Strip and bend over the bed,” Rose commands, and Leon instinctually follows his orders.

_It’s less painful when you go along with him_ , he reminds himself, shivering as he exposes himself and bends over. His ass is stricken several times by Rose’s belt, and Leon tries his best not to whimper in pain. _You should be used to this by now_ , he reminds himself.

“Ah, you truly do look beautiful bent over like this, my Champion,” Rose coos, running a hand up Leon’s back. Leon shivers with the action.

A finger enters him, swiftly followed by another before he can truly prepare. Rose begins to scissor his fingers to loosen Leon, but pulls his fingers out after only a few moments. Next, Leon feels Rose’s cock align itself with his barely loosened asshole. He can’t help but cry out in pain as Rose forces himself inside.

Rose chuckles, enjoying Leon’s pain. “Ah, what a delicious sound! I do love it when you cry for me!” He grips Leon’s hips and forces himself further inside, causing Leon to cry out again. A grin spreads across Rose’s face as he begins to thrust in and out of the Champion before he is ready.

Leon grips the sheets tightly and clenches his teeth, breathing deeply to get through the pain. It hurts, but Leon knows he just has to take it until it’s over. Rose will have his fun with him, finish, and then leave. Then he can go to Raihan’s, and Raihan can help him recover.

“Ah, so tight, you take cock so well, Champion! What a little whore you are!” Rose jeers, causing tears to fall from Leon’s eyes.

It isn’t terribly long before Rose finishes inside him. He pulls out, straightens himself up, and takes Leon’s phone out of his pocket. He sets it down on the night stand near the bed.

“I’ve decided that’s enough for today. You may be off, Leon.” Rose fixes his suit jacket before walking out of the room, leaving Leon to cope with what just happened alone, as usual.

(Notes: Now the original notes for this accidentally got deleted when I fixed the mistakes in this chapter. The whole reason I wrote this as early as I did, instead of later like planned, is my rapist reached out and apologized to me. I mentioned this story was self-indulgent, and this was part of what I was talking about. I'm...not sure how I feel? So I wrote this. Leon is raped similarly to how I was raped. Originally, later in the story the first person to be raped was Piers, which should be a bit obvious with the foreshadowing. That'll still happen later, so this isn't the last we'll see of Rose.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow what a chapter. Iris is so fun to write, makes me want to make that Unova story I know I have no time for lol. These men cannot get their relationships in order, either. And Piers has Parkinson's? Damn there's so much to unpack here. Why did I give Piers Parkinson's? It fit with him really well, in my opinion. And Wolfie wouldn't let me give our Piers Parkinson's so it was too good of an idea to throw out. Piers needed to be sick with _something_ , and before it was just fibromyalgia. Parkinson's is _way_ better.
> 
> If you have questions please ask me because I know this is getting convoluted as fuck.
> 
> Yes Piers' friend he made in the gym challenge is Raihan. I love the dynamic between Piers and Marnie, they're so cute. There's so much sibling love this chapter it's precious.
> 
> Hop caught the Pokemon he later has on his team when you fight him in Stow-on-Side. I just wanted to write up a cute scene for how he got them.
> 
> Hospital Fam situation is evolving too. What'll happen if Leon shows up?
> 
> This has been the heaviest chapter I've ever written to something. It was really hard getting through that. Thank you for the continued love and support this fic receives, it really means the world to me. I don't have anything further written at this point, so it could be a while before another update.


	44. Chapter Thirty-Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, but I'm back! Sorry for the long break, depression is real.
> 
> I not only updated this chapter, though. Oh no, I've updated like the first half of this story. I added to the first 5 chapters, I added MASSIVE PARTS to the first 4 interludes, INCLUDING a 4k word Leon/Raihan scene. Please head back and read those interludes, I added a whole 15k words total to them!
> 
> Thank you to my betas, Ember564 and litho_laboratory_ for all the help, as usual! Love and appreciate you both!

“It’s nice ta see ya walkin’ again,” Marnie pipes up as the two of you are heading out on the road to Stow-on-Side.

“Oh, yeah, it’s nice to _be_ walking again,” you reply, glancing down at your bad leg. It really is great to be able to be on it once more. It’s great to be back on the road, doing the Gym Challenge again, even if you aren’t with Hop.

“What exactly happened in that battle, anyhow?” Marnie asks, pursing her lips. “I watched it after, an’ still don’t understand how it all happened.” Marnie looks over at you, a morbid curiosity dancing in her eyes.

“Well… I couldn’t get up, I couldn’t move, so I couldn’t get out of the way of the attack Centiskorch was using. Kabu didn’t call the move, though, it’s just the move they always use first against Gym Challengers. So Centiskorch was just doing what he thought he was supposed to do, since Kabu wasn’t commanding him. I ended up getting hit, obviously, and ruined my leg. I dislocated my knee, and when they set it, it pinched a nerve. Now it’s mostly numb, but still hurts, but that makes me have this limp. I’m always going to have this limp, now.” It hurts to talk about, so tears build in your eyes as you glance away from the girl walking slowly beside you.

“I see. An’ no one wanted ta kick ya out o’ the League over it? Colour me impressed. Usually when a Trainer suffers somethin’ like that, they kick ‘em out and ship ‘em off ta Spikemuth, if they can’t do nothin’ else. My town’s full o’ people like us.” Marnie’s words bring up a lot of questions in your mind. Us? Shipping people off to a town? What was going on here?

“Uh, yeah, probably because I’m close with Leon, if I had to guess? I imagine he’s pulling strings for me to continue.” You answer her question first before asking your own. “But, what do you mean by ‘us’? And by shipping off to Spikemuth?” Marnie stops walking then, looking down as she brings a hand up to her necklace, tugging at it.

She’s quiet for a moment, as if thinking. “Wanna take a break for a spell?” Marnie looks up at you as she asks, turbulent emotions stirring in her eyes. “It… Might take a bit,” she offers as explanation.

“Sure, I don’t mind. Would be good for my leg, too.” You follow her off to the side of the road, sitting down against the side of a sheer cliff.

“We’re gonna hafta climb these, ya know,” Marnie states as she looks up at the sky, checking out how high the cliffs go.

You balk. “How?!” You don’t have climbing gear, and you have a bum leg, how are you supposed to get up those cliffs?

“There’s ladders ahead that we hafta use. It ain’t too tough. Well, _hopefully_ it ain’t too tough. Guess we’ll see when we get there.” She’s avoiding the topic, but you aren’t about to force her to get to it.

“I, uh, well hopefully my Corvisquire can help me out! I don’t know how I’m going to get up otherwise.” You look up, too, taking in how tall the cliff face is. You’re not looking forward to trying to climb up these.

Marnie goes quiet again, looking down into her lap. You figure she’s gathering her thoughts before continuing. She takes a deep sigh, then finally speaks. “They send disabled people ta Spikemuth so they don’t hafta deal with ‘em. If ya can’t work, they tell ya they’ll give ya a place in Spikemuth and give ya a livin’ allowance, that’s nowhere near enough ta actually live off of, and send ya off. Lotta poverty in Spikemuth as a result. No one can make money, an’ everyone’s on a limited income. We work together, though. Team Yell formed out of the anger of bein’ unheard as we cried about our city fallin’ apart. It’s why I’m shocked they didn’t kick ya outta the Challenge and ship ya off ta Spikemuth. My Bro sure thought they would. Takes a lotta guts ta keep goin’ after an injury like that. You’re lucky ya got the support network ta do it. Not everyone does.” This new information hurts your heart. They can just do that to people here, too?

“Shit like that happens in my own world all the time, I’m sad it happens here, too,” you sympathize, glancing at Marnie and giving her a soft look.

“Your own world?” She asks, looking up at you with confusion.

Shit. You slap a hand over your mouth – you weren’t supposed to be telling people that – like it’ll help the situation at all. Marnie only raises an eyebrow, and you realize you’re going to have to explain. “Well… I don’t know how much you know from you brother, as I’m not sure how much _he_ knows, but I’m not from this world. I appeared here one day, in the Slumbering Weald, in a body that was not mine. This body, I look vastly different where I come from.” Telling her you’re actually a guy seems unnecessary right now. “So I guess I’m lucky Hop and his family found me? I’m sure things would be way different for me if it was someone else who did.” You look at your hands, playing with them while you talk. You hope Marnie believes you.

“Huh. How’d ya get here, then?” She’s looking at you still, you can feel her eyes on you, but you can’t meet them.

“I… I have no clue, honestly. One day, I went to bed in my own bed. The next day, I woke up naked in the Slumbering Weald. Some monstrous beast of a Pokémon lead me out of there, and then Hop found me. I only have this support network thanks to Hop. And he’s mad at me right now. I miss him so much…” You mumble the last bit, trailing off quietly.

“Whatcha even do ta piss ‘im off so badly?” Her gaze is still on you, so you look up to meet it. Tears leak out of your eyes as you meet hers.

“I lied to him. But it’s more than just that, he’s jealous of my ability to connect with Pokémon, and keeps beating himself up about losing, thinking he’s dragging his brother’s name through the mud. He’s not, and I wish he’d see that.” You sigh deeply, looking up at the sky again to blink away tears.

“He kinda is, though,” Marnie chimes in, raising a finger to her lips. “The coverage of the Gym Challenge this year drags on Hop a lot for not bein’ as good as his brother was. If he’s checkin’ that out at all, I bet it’s gettin’ t’ ‘im.”

Marnie’s words trouble you. You had no idea there was even any news coverage about the Gym Challenge at all, but it makes perfect sense to you when you think about it. You wonder what they’re saying about you. Do you even want to know?

“They focus on your injury, if you’re curious. And rumours about your undefeated win streak. Still got that goin’?” Marnie’s voice picks up in emotion at that mention, sounding excited at the prospect.

“Yeah, still haven’t lost to anyone yet! Who knows, maybe I’ll make it to Leon and the two of us will have an undefeated showdown.” You let out a laugh, as there’s likely no way in hell that’ll happen for you. Remaining undefeated that long _and_ making it all the way to the end? The stars would have to align.

“Well, ya hafta get past me, first, as I intend ta be the one ta finally dethrone Leon! And with that Champion money, fix up Spikemuth!” It makes you feel bad for having such selfish reasons for doing the Gym Challenge when there were people like Marnie who really needed to win it for bigger reasons.

“You mentioned earlier that you’re like the people of Spikemuth. Are you disabled too?” You bring up your other question, and Marnie nods.

“Yeah. Fibromyalgia. Diagnosed with it since I was 8. Some days it’s worse than others. Kept me from doin’ the Gym Challenge for two whole years, cuz it kept flarin’ up when the Gym Challenge finally rolled ‘round. Glad this year it’s not too bad. Though I’ve had a couple bad flare ups since startin’. Had ta stay in Motostoke longer than I woulda liked because o’ it.” You had been wondering why she was hanging out in Motostoke for so long, and she’d dodged your question when you’d asked her before, back in Motostoke.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I know that can be rough to live with.” You sympathize, living in eternal nerve pain is horrible, and you’ve only got it in your leg. You can’t begin to imagine dealing with this kind of pain all over your body.

“I’m in pain all the time, but some days it’s easier ta deal with than others. Team Yell follows me ‘round ta keep an eye on me, I know, but I still appreciate it. It scares me that somethin’ could happen ta me out here an’ no one would know for days. But Team Yell’ll know. We’ll probly come across a few as we go. They like ta check in on me and cheer when I have battles.” Marnie doesn’t wear a smile, but you can see one in her eyes.

“You’ve got quite the support network yourself, there, huh?” You tease lightly, giving the girl a small smile.

Marnie shrugs. “They only do it ‘cause my Bro told ‘em so.”

“They reporting back to him, then?” You ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Probly.” Marnie nods, fiddling with her Dynamax band.

“Does that bother you at all?” If someone was always telling your family what you were up to, you’d probably get sick of it pretty quickly.

“Naw. It’s a load off my Bro’s mind ta hear ‘bout me from ‘em, and they’re good people. They’re just tryin’a help,” Marnie insists, and you believe her. Your few run-ins with them have shown them to be stubborn people, but one time they left you alone.

Because you are disabled. Like them. _That’s_ why they left you alone in the mines on the way to Motostoke. “Oh. They did leave me alone once, cuz someone gave them orders to, I think. If I’m remembering right.”

“Yeah, they get shirty with the other Challengers, we keep havin’ ta tell ‘em ta knock it off.” Marnie shakes her head exasperatedly, though amusement dances in her eyes.

“They just want you to win, that’s all. I think it’s cute, if not a bit obnoxious. A team battle with Hop against a couple of them caused the two of us to have a fight, though, unfortunately.” You frown and sigh, as your thoughts keep dragging you back to Hop.

“Ya really miss ‘im, don’tcha? Ya bring ‘im up a lot. The two o’ ya must be close,” Marnie muses, tapping at her chin.

You take a deep breath in and sigh. “We were, yeah. Now we keep fighting. I think he just needs some time to sort through things on his own, but I miss him like crazy! It’s really hard.”

Marnie nods, looking out into the distance. “Ya like ‘im, don’tcha?”

A blush forms across your cheeks. How dare Marnie call you out like that? “O-of course I like him, he’s my best friend!” You try to dodge, but Marnie just has a knowing look on her face.

“Sure, whatever ya say. I think ya like ‘im more than that, but I ain’t gonna pry.” Seems like Marnie’s made up her mind about this, and it’s not like you have any way to convince her she’s wrong. You _do_ like him that way, after all. “Anyways, ya ready ta get back on the trail?” She stands then, stretching her limbs before turning back to you and offering her hand. You let her help pull you up, grabbing onto your walker once standing.

Marnie begins collecting your playing Pokémon, rounding them up and ordering them back on the path. They all listen to her, bounding back towards the path and staying close by, everyone cautious of the cliffs. It’s slow travelling, but thanks to your limp, it does make it easier to keep control of your group of seven Pokémon. Marnie’s group is well behaved, including her new Liepard she caught in the Wild Area, and yours all want to impress you, so overall neither of you have any problems keeping your Pokémon safe and away from any cliff edges.

The first ladder you come to has both of you sighing. Marnie recalls all her Pokémon, and begins climbing up the steps. She’s slow, and begins struggling about half way up. Corvisquire flies up and grabs her around the waist, pulling up some of her weight. He’s not quite strong enough to drag either of you all the way up the cliff faces, but he is strong enough to help. With Corvisquire holding some of her weight, Marnie climbs faster, making it to the top and collapsing in a heap.

Corvisquire flies back down to you, and you sigh as you recall Raboot and Axew. If Corvisquire is to carry you, he can’t have either riding on his back, as they’d be too heavy. Raboot hates this already, but acquiesces regardless, as he also wants to get this over with as fast as possible.

You hand your walker to Corvisquire, grabbing hold of the ladder and leaning against it. You watch as he flies the piece of equipment up the cliff, struggling slightly, before Marnie grabs it when he gets near the top and helps him set it down. Then he flies back down, and grabs you around the waist to begin helping you like he helped Marnie.

Your upper arms are strong from how much they support you against the walker. Pulling yourself up the ladder isn’t actually that hard, and you use only your right leg to hop up each rung on the ladder, leaving your left leg hanging. You don’t trust putting any weight on it, and you don’t want to fall or hurt it, so it’s better to just not use it at all. You don’t really need your legs, anyways; it’s more for stability. Your arms plus Corvisquire holding you around the waist is all you really need to get all the way up. Marnie grabs your hands as you near the top, hauling you the last of the way up, and you collapse at the top.

Corvisquire also collapses next to you in a heap, exhausted from helping both of you and getting your walker up the cliff. “Break again?” Marnie asks, petting Corvisquire thankfully. You notice she’s already let all her Pokémon out of their balls, so you let yours out as well.

“It’s getting pretty late, actually. Want to try to find a spot to set up camp for the night instead?” You look up at the darkening sky, seeing the sun begin to set over the cliffs to the west.

“Not a bad idea, actually. Let’s do that.” Marnie gets up then, and helps you up as well. You recall Corvisquire, as he’s still too tired to go on. With the help of Marnie’s Pokémon, it doesn’t take your group long to find a place to set up camp for the night. The routes are safer than the Wild Area is, anyways, so it’s not very hard to find good spots after gaining the experience of that.

Marnie helps you set up your tent, though it’s really not that hard to do. Some unfolding and some tugging, and the whole thing just springs up on its own. You had picked it out for this very reason, after all. “I’m a bit jealous,” Marnie admits as she’s setting up her tent. “I’ve just got my Bro’s old thing. It’s fallin’ apart.”

“I had Leon’s old one until he broke it while we were travelling in the Wild Area. Then he got me this new one in Hammerlocke. This is the first time I’m using it,” you confess, scratching your head. You wish you could be of more help than you are, but your leg hurts and setting up tents is not your forte. You and Raboot get a cookfire going instead while she’s doing that, getting to work on something for supper.

“How’d he break it?” Marnie asks, humour dancing in her eyes.

“Well, his Charizard thinks he did it on purpose,” you giggle, “but he was setting it up at night, and couldn’t really see what he was doing.” Ah yes, it was worth it, though, as you got to spend so much time in Leon’s arms as a result.

Marnie snickers. “Why would he break it on purpose?”

You want to tell her, but she was already teasing you about Hop earlier. “Maybe another time I’ll tell you. What do you want to eat for supper?” You change the subject, and she rolls with it.

After supper is finished, and you’ve all cleaned up, you and Marnie sit together around the fire. “Mind if I put on some music?” She asks, pulling out her phone and looking down at it.

“Not at all, go right ahead.” You still haven’t got the chance to listen to any music here yet, as Hop was never really that into music, and neither was Leon. Listening to music here will be fun, and you are looking forward to what it might sound like.

What Marnie put on sounds a lot like punk rock music from where you’re from. Given her look, you’re not all that surprised the music matches her appearance. It’s good, you enjoy it, and the two of you talk about music for most of the night.

“What band is this?” You ask at one point, wanting to know more about the music Marnie is playing.

“Oh this stuff? This is by my Bro.” She states it like it’s no big deal.

“Really? That’s so cool! He’s really talented!” The music is impressive to you, so you aren’t lying. It makes you miss your own music, however.

“Mmm, I s’pose he is. He’s gettin’ more popular outside o’ Spikemuth now,” Marnie brags lightly, tapping her foot to the beat of the song.

You bop your head along as you listen. “That’s great. He deserves it. He’s good.”

Silence lapses between you two as you listen to more of his music, Marnie sometimes piping up to sing along to a song she particularly likes. Not all the stuff she plays you is by her brother, but it is all by people in Spikemuth. Seems there’s a lot of talent in that town, even if there isn’t a lot of money.

“You’d think Spikemuth would be more popular with good music like this coming out of it.” You don’t mean for it to be rude, and you’re hoping Marnie doesn’t take it that way. You genuinely don’t know why Spikemuth wouldn’t have more people coming to it with so many good bands there.

“Ya’d think, right? It’s not just good music, neither. Good art, good stories, Spikemuth is full of talented artists. But ya don’t hear none of ‘em on the radio, nor their art in museums, or their books on shelves. I don’t get it, neither.” Marnie’s voice carries a lot of emotion in it as she speaks, and her eyes are turned towards the fire, reflecting the orange flames in her teal eyes.

“Huh. I wonder if it’s like the poverty thing. You think that stuff is being repressed on purpose, to keep people poor there?” Marnie turns to you at that, eyes wide.

“Hadn’t thought o’ that angle. You’re right, could be. Would make sense.” The Dark Trainer’s lips pull down into a slight frown, propping her elbows on her legs and setting her head in her hands.

You look up at the stars, the night sky in full display by now. The moon is only a sliver in the sky, and with no city lights in the way, all you can see is beautiful stars scattered and swirling across a midnight sky. “Would suck, if it was true. I hope you’re able to bring the change you want to there,” you lament sadly, feeling for her and her town’s situation.

“Hope so, too. Got a whole gang behind me, so guess I can’t do too badly.” Marnie looks determined, and you nod to her.

Silence washes over the two of you once more as you go back to listening. Marnie begins to sing along to another song, and when it ends, you compliment her. “You have a lovely voice, you know.”

Marnie blushes slightly. “Y-ya think? Thanks, um,” she trails off, looking away. She sings a little louder during the next song, however. “Bet ya have a nice voice, too,” she finishes after the next song ends.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” you disagree, shaking your hands in front of you.

“Oh c’mon, let’s hear.” She turns to you fully, mischief dancing in her eyes. She presses pause on the song currently playing so you can sing something. “I wanna hear something from where you’re from.”

Well, that’s a hard request to ignore. Instead of singing some of the more childish Pokémon songs you knew that you’d sung for Hop, you choose to pick a song that is more Marnie’s speed that you at least know _most_ of the words to. You mumble what you don’t; it gets the point across regardless.

“Not bad, ya do have a nice voice,” Marnie affirms when you’re done, her eyes light.

“Oh, thank you. Though, I really wish I could play the actual song for you, with the guitar and everything. It would sound way better.” You sigh deeply, missing your music more and more; missing your _home_ more and more. You miss everything about it.

“Sing me another, then. I’ll get the idea,” Marnie requests, and you look up to her again. With a small nod, you agree to sing one more.

It takes you a bit to think of one you know enough of the words of to sing properly, but you eventually think of one and sing it for her. Marnie compliments you again when you’re finished, satisfied with your performance.

“Nice song. Ya play any instruments?” The question catches you off-guard.

“I was put in piano lessons as a kid, but no, not really,” you answer honestly, and Marnie nods. “Can you?”

“Yup. Guitar and bass. My Bro taught me.” Marnie looks proud, and you can’t blame her.

“Oh, you in a band at all?” She shakes her head at your question.

“Nope. Wanted ta focus on bein’ a Trainer. ‘M not that good, neither. Just play for fun with my Bro sometimes. He’s real good at both. Even taught his Obstagoon to play,” Marnie offers, a bit of awe in her voice.

“Wow! It amazes me what people can teach Pokémon to do here.” Leon taught his Charizard how to play video games, Piers taught his Obstagoon to play the guitar; it truly impresses you. You go on to explain animals to Marnie, and about the extent of how trainable they were. “I got my cat to stand on her hind legs and beg for treats. That’s, like, kind of impressive where I’m from. Animals are nowhere near as smart as Pokémon are.”

“Huh, so it’s thanks t’ your bond with ‘em that ya can train ‘em so well, eh?” Marnie teases, elbowing you slightly. “Sounds like ya’d be kinda fucked without it.”

“Oh hush! Yes, but hush!” You shake your head at her, but a smile crosses your face. You really would be pretty lost without your unique ability here. “But you have something similar. Even my Pokémon can feel it, now, since they’re getting closer to you. You can kind of push your feelings across to them like I can.”

“Really? So it is like yours?” Marnie asks, her eyebrows raising. Back in Motostoke, the two of you hadn’t been sure if it was the same as yours or not. But now, when Raboot and Corvisquire have become closer with Marnie, they can _feel_ what she feels sometimes, similar to how they _feel_ what you feel. It’s not as strong, nor as consistent, but it’s enough to give her an advantage in battle.

“Yeah, so if you, like, _push_ hard enough, you can get across what you want your Pokémon to do without saying anything and giving anything away to your opponent,” you coach, trying your best to explain how it works to help her out. You want to give her all the advantage you can with the two upcoming Gyms. Fighting-type and Fairy-type are both strong against Dark-types, and Marnie’s team is pretty stacked with them. At least she has a Poison-type for the Fairy Gym.

“Huh, guess I gotta practice that a bit. Would be handy ta be able ta do it reliably.” Marnie nods determinedly, set to add this to her training regimen.

“I’ll help however I can,” you offer. It’s not long after that the two of you are calling it a night and packing it in. It’s weird to be going to bed alone tonight, even if Raboot cuddles with you. The tent feels too big and empty without Leon or Hop bumbling about in it.

It takes you a while to sleep. You toss and turn, thinking about Hop, wondering if he’s ok. It sucks to be separated from him, and you wish you could be travelling with him, too. You do like spending the time with Marnie, but it would be nice if Hop was here, too. You miss him so much.

Morning comes too early, with Marnie poking her head into your tent to announce breakfast at what feels like a far too early hour. Checking your phone reveals it’s not that early, it’s actually pretty late, and you sigh at the realization that you didn’t get much sleep last night. Oh well, not much to be done about it. You hobble out of your tent, joining Marnie for breakfast, and doing your stretches and leg exercises while Marnie cleans up and packs things away. Your Pokémon all help her, aside from Raboot, who is helping you with your exercises.

“Are you sure you don’t mind having to do all this by yourself?” You ask, feeling guilty she’s doing all the work while you are here, on your ass, stretching your leg.

“Ya gotta do those, yeah? I’m impatient. I don’t mind gettin’ all the cleanin’ and shit while ya do those.” Marnie is at least fairly sympathetic to your plight, likely due to also being disabled herself.

“Just don’t push yourself too hard, ok? I don’t want you to get hurt.” Marnie nods, and goes back to her task. You both finish around the same time, and Marnie helps you to your feet once you’re ready to go.

“We should be makin’ it ta Stow-on-Side today, maybe a bit late though. Should be fine at the pace we’re goin’.” Marnie begins walking, and you follow along beside her. It’s a clear, sunny day, so the weather won’t be getting in your way, either.

The two of you struggle up ladders and take plenty of breaks, Corvisquire putting in work on carrying the two of you up each one. You’re both thankful for it, however.

“Dunno how I woulda done this without ya, Corey.” Marnie pets his head, and he coos softly.

“That’s a cute nickname,” you announce, and Marnie looks over at you.

She nods, eyes blinking slowly. “Mmm, it is. Fits ‘im.”

“So now I’ve got Ace,” you point at Raboot, and state the nickname Hop had sort of come up with. “And Corey.” You grin, reaching out and petting the bird Pokémon as well. _What about me?_ Axew asks through your bond.

_I’m sure we’ll think of something cute for you one day, too,_ you assure her, as these nicknames had taken time to come to each of your Pokémon. You weren’t in a rush to force a nickname on your Pokémon.

“Do you have nicknames for your Pokémon?” You ask Marnie, and she nods excitedly.

“Yup. My Bro calls him Trouble.” Marnie points to Morpeko, who bristles at the nickname. “He doesn’t like it very much. It’s why he keeps callin’ ‘im it. And that’s Croak.” Marnie points to her Croagunk next. She croaks loudly, as she does often, and you see how she earned the nickname. “And that’s Trip. ‘Cause she’s always trippin’.” Marnie points to her Scraggy, and you had seen her trip several times over the course of knowing her. “I haven’t given Liepard a nickname yet, though. Haven’t thought of a good one yet.”

_See? Nicknames take time,_ you remind Axew, who settles down upon knowing she’s not the only one without a nickname. “Those are cute. I like them.”

There are other Trainers along the route to Stow-on-Side today, who aren’t Gym Challengers. “Oh, we’re big fans of the Gym Challenge!” Two girls announce after you and Marnie battle with them and win. “We’re travelling to Stow-on-Side to see some of the matches live! We’re both big fans of yours!” It catches you off guard, as you aren’t used to the idea of having fans.

“Yeah! We’d love it if we could get your autographs!” The other adds, excitedly bouncing beside her friend.

Marnie looks at you and shrugs, before pulling a couple cards and a pen out of her bag and signing the cards. You catch her signature, it’s fancy looking and nice, not a mess of scribbles like yours is. She hands each of the girls one and they both squeal, clinging to the cards tightly. Then they both look at you expectantly, and you’re not sure what to do.

Leaning in towards Marnie, you whisper quietly into her ear. “I, uh, don’t know how to do a nice signature,” you admit, and Marnie looks at you and raises an eyebrow.

“I can show ya,” she whispers back, before turning to the girls. “One sec,” she explains, before pulling you around. “Do ya have any Trainer Cards?”

You and Hop had made some back in Motostoke, way back when you’d been stuck there at the beginning of the Challenge. You haven’t thought about them since, though you’d both had a ton of fun that day making them, making silly faces and ridiculous poses, editing the final pictures and laughing together. You frown, thinking about them, and nod to Marnie. “Yeah, I do.”

“Pull some out, let’s see if we can’t get ya a nice signature.” Marnie gestures to you, so you dig in your bag for them. Pulling a few out, as well as your notebook that you’ve been keeping a record of your journey in, you turn to a blank page to get something to practice on first. “Oh, good idea, gimme that.” Marnie grabs the notebook out of your hands, and begins drawing out a few different signatures with your name. “Which one ya like best?” She hands the notebook back to you, and you look over them.

Some look too complicated, but there’s a cute one that looks not too difficult that you begin practicing on the next page. After a few attempts, you feel confident enough to mark up some cards. You only botch two of the signatures on the cards, thankfully, so you turn around when you’re done and hand each of the girls a card with a nice signature on it.

Once again, they both squeal, clutching the cards tightly. “Thank you! I can’t believe we’re the first ones to get Challenger Kieran’s signature!” Ah, darn, they’ve caught onto that, have they? No matter, it is what it is, and it seems like they’re happy with their cards. “Good luck at the next Gym! We’ll both be there cheering and watching!” They chirp excitedly before heading on their way, you and Marnie beginning to slowly follow after them, as you were heading in the same direction. The girls jog ahead, laughing to themselves, and you and Marnie watch.

“I can’t believe I have _fans_ ,” you gush, turning to Marnie with a smile. “Thank you _so_ much for teaching me how to do a signature!”

Marnie only shrugs. “Was no big.”

When the two of you break for supper, Marnie points off into the distance, between two peaks of rocks. “I can see Stow-on-Side. I think we can make it tonight. I wanna get there and sleep on a real bed in the Center.”

“Let’s make supper quick, then, and get on the way, so we can hopefully make it before dark. I don’t want to be travelling here around dark, even if your Pokémon can see really well and Raboot can help light things up. I don’t want to take any chances.” As nice as it would be to get there tonight, you’re also along cliffs, and travelling that in the dark is asking for an injury – or worse.

Marnie agrees, and the two of you throw together a quick dinner that doesn’t use a lot of dishes, to save on clean up time. Then, as soon as you’re done, the group of you is off, going as fast as you can to get to Stow-on-Side before dark.

The sun sets past the rocks, and you’re not to town yet. “Don’t worry, there’s no cliffs down this path. It’s a safe, albeit curvy walk ta Stow-on-Side from here. Just put your hand on the rocks and follow me.” You want to trust Marnie, but this makes you nervous.

“I can’t, I have to keep both hands on my walker or I can’t support myself,” you explain, worry seeping into your voice, causing it to take on a whiny tone.

“Oh, I’ll handle that, then,” Marnie decides, setting her other hand on your walker to guide you behind her. Raboot leads with a ball of flame in his hands to light the way, and you recall Corvisquire and Axew, just to keep them safe. Marnie recalls Croagunk as well, as she’s the only one on her team who can’t see as well in the dark.

It takes you about an hour at your pace, but the two of you eventually see the lights of the city ahead of you. You both sigh with relief, until you see the stairs. Then yours turns into a loud groan. There’s no railing along the stairs, either, and you throw your head back with despair.

“Oh, shit, yeah, need my help?” Marnie asks, coming over to you and offering her arm. It’s a slow struggle up the stairs, with Marnie and Scraggy holding you up between them as Raboot takes your walker up ahead of the two of you. Getting to the top of the stairs, you notice the red shining lights on the banner of the Center nearby, and you collapse against your walker with relief.

“Thank god it’s nearby! I was dreading trying to find it in the dark!” You exclaim as the two of you hobble slowly towards the Center doors.

“Oh, I coulda told ya it was near the entrance. Whoops.” Marnie shrugs, seemingly not that bothered that she hadn’t told you. You give her a half-hearted glare, but don’t push it further than that. You’re tired and sore, and so are your Pokémon, so a rest at the Center sounds absolutely heavenly tonight.

You’re both given a room to share, and your Pokémon are all taken to be treated. Corvisquire is kept longer, as he really exerted himself to help you and Marnie, and hurt himself as a result. “Don’t worry, he’ll be fine, he just needs the night to recover,” the nurse assures you calmly.

Tucking in for the night, you and Marnie take turns in the bathroom, bathing and getting ready for bed. She helps you with your exercised tonight. “Got nothin’ better ta do. Might as well help,” is the explanation she gives.

You two talk more as you wind down for bed. “So what’re your plans tomorrow?” You ask Marnie as the two of you each get situated in your own beds.

“More trainin’. I’m not ready ta take on the Fightin’ Gym yet. I’m gonna head off ta Glimwood Tangle for a spell and get some solid trainin’ in against the Fairy-types in there,” Marnie declares, tucking herself into bed.

“I think I’m heading straight to the Gym tomorrow.” Marnie nods at your answer.

“Yeah, you’re ready, I think. Ya have Corey, too. He’s got type advantage,” Marnie helpfully points out.

Raboot jumps up into the bed when you’re laying down, coming to sleep between your arms as he usually does. “Yeah, I was hoping to pick up a Psychic move before, too, but I’m not sure Raboot can actually learn one.”

Marnie shrugs. “Dunno, either. Keep tryin’, though. No sense in givin’ up yet. A Psychic move’ll come in handy more than just against Bea,” Marnie reminds you, and you nod to her.

“That’s true. We’ll keep trying then, won’t we, Ace?” You pet Raboot between his ears, and he trills softly, closing his eyes tiredly. You fall asleep shortly after that, sleep taking you quickly after a long and hard past couple days of travel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marnie and her accent causes me to add so many words to my poor Microsoft Word dictionary.
> 
> I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year! It's the first time I've ever done it, wish me luck! I'll be working on the prequel sequel to this story, and I'll be posting what I've got at the end of the month. Please look forward to it! If you'd like to add me if you're doing NaNoWriMo too, I'm MightyMage on the NaNoWriMo website! I'd be happy to add people back so we can share our progress!
> 
> Thank you to all the readers who stick around and keep reading, even months later. You guys are the greatest, and every time one of you comments, I'm even more motivated to finish this story. For you guys. Because you deserve an ending. Love you all.


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